Eggplant Florentine is one our favorite pantry suppers. I usually have all of the ingredients on hand, and it’s a breeze to throw together. If you like diced tomatoes, they are an optional ingredient. My husband is not too crazy about tomatoes, and as seen in the picture above, I sometimes leave them out.
I stopped making casseroles when we started a gluten free diet because every casserole recipe that I knew called for at least one can of Campbell’s soup. And, as I hope you already know, all of their soups contain gluten. Thankfully, I’ve learned that you can get the Campbell’s soup effect with mayo, sour cream, and lots of spices. Next on my lists of recipes to de-gluten are Green Bean Casserole and Cheesy Broccoli & Rice Casserole. What casseroles do you miss on a gluten-free diet? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll put them on my list of things to try.
Instructions
(Yield: 6 – 8 servings)
- 5 c. brown rice, cooked
- 1/4 c. mayo* or Veganaise
- 1/4 c. sour cream*
- 1/2 tsp. sage
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 1 lb. mushrooms, quartered
- 14. oz. can of diced tomatoes (optional)
- 16. oz. frozen spinach, thawed
- 1 c. gluten free breadcrumbs
- 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
- 1/4 c. parmesan cheese
- Slice the eggplant in 1/4″ disks. Lay them on a greased baking sheet and pop into the oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. When they are done, just set them aside until it is time to put the casserole together.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and mushrooms and saute for 5 – 10 minutes. The onions should begin to turn a nice golden brown, and the mushrooms will darken and release their juices (which will then evaporate).
- Combine the cooked rice, mayo, sour cream, and spices in a large bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl, combine the bread crumbs, melted butter and parmesan cheese.
- Spread the rice mixture across the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Layer the cooked eggplant slices over the rice. Then layer the onions and mushrooms over the eggplant. (If you’re using the optional diced tomatoes, now is the time to add them.) And finally, spread the thawed spinach over the onions and mushrooms.
- Bake the casserole at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. When the casserole has about 10 minutes left to bake, sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the casserole.
Note. If you’re not keen on meatless meals, add 1 c. shredded chicken.
* Check out these recipes for vegan mayo and sour cream at the Fat Free Vegan’s site.
This looks fabulous. I am going to try this very soon! I also substitute mayo and sour cream for Campbells or I make a roux with rice flour and do a cream sauce. Keep the casseroles coming! Yum!
I haven’t tried anything creamy yet and as my vilii heal I’ve been avoiding dairy. Thanks for posting the link to the mayo/sour cream substitute page!
I tend to eat fewer casseroles in the summer. But I’m definately going to try this one to take advantage of the eggplants popping up! It looks fantastic.
One cold casserole that they have in restaurants around here (midwest) as part of the salad bar is the tuna macaroni casserole. It’s tuna, elbow pasta, peas, and mayo and it so says summer to me! I need to learn how make a version.
(btw – thanks for your tips on lunch on my comments page; very helpful!)
Natalie,
It’s been a while since I made roux for a casserole. We stopped using milk/cream when I started having problems with gluten, and I haven’t learned a vegan substitute. The broccoli casserole recipe on your site looks really yummy though, so I’ll have to figure something out.
Grey,
I hope you enjoy the recipe, and I’m glad the vegan substitutes will be helpful to you. You’re comment about the tuna macaroni salad reminded me that I’ve been wanting to recreate Suddenly Salad’ ranch pasta salad. When I was pregnant, I would eat an entire box of the stuff in one sitting and I’ve been missing it. I’ll have to give that a try soon and post about it.
Mary Frances
Hi!
This recipe looks great! I plan on making it tonight. I just wanted to let the other readers know, that you can buy Vegan Sour Cream (Tofutti Brand), Veganaise (Follow Your Heart), and Earthbalance (Butter) at grocery stores like Whole Foods. They’re all great dairy replacements. Also, for a Parmesan Cheese replacement I use nutritional yeast. I also plan on topping this with a “Cashew Cheese” recipe I found here: http://greenoptions.com/2007/03/30/weekly_diy_vegan_cashew_cheese
Happy eating everyone!
Christina
Christina,
Thanks for the tips on the vegan dairy substitutes. I’m just now starting to try some of those and am often unsure which brand to go with. I hope you enjoy the casserole!
Mary Frances