How long does it take to make Baked Eggplant in Tomato Sauce with Cheese?

Brush eggplant slices about half a centimeter thick with olive oil and bake at 200°C (390°F) for 15–20 minutes, until soft; for the sauce, fry an onion about 4 minutes, add garlic and tomatoes and cook until thick.

1 hr 5 minTotal

15 minActive time

50 minSetting

Step by Step

#	What to do	How long
1	Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F)	12 min
2	Brush the vegetables generously with the olive oil and sprinkle the salt on top	1 min
3	Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer, without crowding	—
4	Roast the vegetables in a hot oven (200°C / 390°F) 20 minutes	20 min
5	In a bowl, mix the tomatoes with the salt. Don't cook it: the sauce cooks on the pizza in the oven	15 min
6	Take the eggplant out of the oven and pour the tomato sauce over it	1 min
7	Sprinkle the cheese on top	1 min
8	Bake another 15 minutes	15 min

How to Tell It's Done

until the eggplants are tender
until the cheese melts

Tips

Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
Give it room in the pan: crowded vegetables steam instead of browning.
Spread cooled sauce on pizza: hot sauce softens the dough even before baking.

Common Mistakes

A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.

More Ways

Bake the eggplant, sauce and cheeses at 180°C (355°F) for 20–30 minutes, until the cheese melts and the sauce bubbles.
Parmigiana: salted and drained eggplant slices, coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fried until golden; layer sauce, eggplant, basil, Parmesan and a little mozzarella in a baking dish and bake at 180°C (355°F) for about 30 minutes.
Eggplant slices fried in a pan until golden, then layered in a baking dish: sauce, eggplant, sauce and mozzarella in turn, with Parmesan on top; bake 20 minutes at 180°C (355°F).

The full recipe: Baked Eggplant in Tomato Sauce with Cheese →