Cheesy Eggplant Casserole with Ground Turkey
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Published Oct 07, 2019, Updated Nov 21, 2023
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Comfort food made healthy, this cheesy eggplant casserole layers eggplant with protein-rich turkey and mozzarella. The best part? It bakes up in 30 minutes!
As I was planning for recipes this fall, I realized I didn’t have that many casserole recipes on my site. Time to change that! I love making casseroles for a hearty, family sized meal. We love leftovers so I often make a casserole like this for just the two of us and we enjoy leftovers for a couple of nights. It’s the best.
This is also the perfect recipe to bring to new parents or friends and family that are in need of a meal. It feels like baby girl is going to make her arrival any day now and I know I’d happily accept this meal when I’m running on empty!
You can bring just this casserole or whip up a simple side salad to pair with it for a complete meal.
What Does Eggplant Taste Like?
If you’ve never tried eggplant before, don’t be scared! You will love eggplant in no time. It has a really mild flavor and when cooked properly, takes on the surrounding flavors of the dish. You can leave the skin on or peel it if you prefer. I find that the skin gets really soft when eggplant is baked in a casserole like this so I never take the time to peel it.
Eggplant is a super simple vegetable to work with. One thing to note with eggplant is that it holds a lot of water. In order to make sure the casserole doesn’t end up soupy or extra watery, you simply sprinkle salt on the eggplant slices ahead of time to pull the water from it.
Ingredients in Eggplant Casserole
- eggplant – when picking an eggplant, make sure yours is firm but not hard. It should be smooth and shiny, not dull which means its turning bitter and it should be a rich, dark purple color with even coloring and no streaking. Eggplants are full of moisture so after slicing be sure to sprinkle with salt and pat dry with a paper towel.
- turkey – a lean protein option, but ground beef will work too. You can also use tofu or mashed chickpeas for a vegetarian option.
- marinara sauce – I look for marinara sauce with no sugar added. Three brands I like are Muir Glen, Rao’s Homemade and Primal Kitchen.
- cheese – we’re using shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- spices – a little salt, black pepper and Italian seasoning.
How to Make this Eggplant Casserole
Pre-cook eggplant – Start by cutting your eggplant into slices. Cut the eggplant widthwise (into rounds) about 1/4-1/3 inch thick. Brush, rub or spray a little olive oil on each side of the eggplant slices and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking stone. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in oven for 10-15 minutes, or until eggplant is hot and starting to cook down. Remove from oven.
Make sauce – To make your sauce, sauté your garlic in a little olive oil over medium heat and then add the ground turkey along with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Break up the turkey as it cooks. When the turkey is no longer pink, add the tomato sauce to the pan and stir to combine.
Build casserole – It’s time to build your casserole! Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Spread a little turkey sauce into the bottom of the pan and add a layer of eggplant slices. Top with half the turkey sauce mixture, add another layer of eggplant and top with the remaining turkey sauce. Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese.
Bake – Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. The foil keeps the cheese from getting too browned! Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes.
Serve – Serve with grated parmesan cheese.
How to Serve
This casserole is hearty and filling on its own, but here are some serving suggestions:
- Serve alongside my Garlicky Kale Salad or Zoodle Salad w/ Italian Dressing to amp up the veggies.
- Bake a loaf of Sourdough Bread.
- Sautéed Beet Greens with Roasted Beets would also be a delicious way to amp up the veggies.
More Casserole Recipes You Might Enjoy!
- Confetti Chicken Casserole
- Mexican Quinoa Casserole
- Spaghetti Squash Tuna Noodle Casserole Boats
- Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Healthy Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole
Pasta Recipes to Try
- Spaghetti Squash Baked Feta Pasta
- One-Skillet Enchilada Pasta
- Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Creamy Walnut Pasta Sauce with Spaghetti Squash Noodles
- Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta with Tahini Sauce
- Lightened-Up Penne alla Vodka
- Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
Be sure to check out the full collection of dinner recipes and ground turkey recipes on EBF!
Turkey Eggplant Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant
- sea salt and pepper,, to taste
Turkey Sauce
- ½ Tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper
- ½ Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 24 oz jar of marinara sauce, any flavor
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- grated parmesan cheese,, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Cut the eggplant widthwise (into rounds) about 1/4-1/3 inch thick. Brush, rub or spray a little olive oil on each side of the eggplant slices and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking stone. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in oven for 10-15 minutes, or until eggplant is hot and starting to cook down. Remove from oven.
- Meanwhile, heat ½ Tablespoon olive oil in large sauté pan. Once hot, add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add ground turkey into the pan, season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Cook, breaking turkey apart until turkey is cooked through and no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Add sauce to the pan and combine. Remove from heat.
- Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread a little of the turkey sauce into the bottom of the pan and then add a layer of eggplant. Top with half the turkey sauce mixture. Add another layer of eggplant, top with the remaining turkey sauce mixture. Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese.
- Bake eggplant dish uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Cheese should be melted and bubbly. Remove from oven, let rest for 5 minutes and serve
- Serve with grated parmesan and toasted bread.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How many slices of eggplant
Do you need
Thank you
It kind of depends, but I’d estimate around 8 to 10 slices.
is it possible to prep this dish ahead of time and leave in the fridge until ready to bake? If so, how long would the cold casserole bake?
Hi Carla! I think that should be totally fine. It should bake up around the same time (25 minutes)… maybe 5-10 minutes longer.
Delicious and easy – my family and guests loved it!
Woo-hoo! So happy to hear that, Daria. Thank you for coming back to leave a comment and star rating, I so appreciate it!
Great, versatile, leftovers! I subbed lean ground beef and added some Parmesan to the mozzarella… delish and sinple!
Yay, so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Christie. 🙂 I’m sure it was delicious with the ground beef and you can’t ever go wrong with adding more cheese! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and star rating. It means the world to me!
Possibly prepping this for post baby arrival. How do you think it would hold in the freezer?
I haven’t tried freezing this yet, but I think it could be just fine in the freezer!
This was awesome. I put cheese in between the layers with the eggplant (mostly because I wasn’t paying close attention to the recipe) but it turned out great. Extra cheese cant ever be bad. Lol
Extra cheese is definitely never a bad thing!! 🙂 I’m so glad you tried and enjoyed this recipe, Kara. And thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it!
My boyfriend and I meal-prep on Sundays and this is the best thing we have made so far! We’ve eaten it most nights this week and have loved it every time! Perfect!
Ahh yay! I love hearing that, Tiegan! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating, I so appreciate it! <3
I’ve made your eggplant parmesan several times now, and decided to give this recipe a try for more protein. After 30 minutes in the over, the eggplant was nowhere to being cooked through (I sliced it thinly and let it rest with salt for over 35 minutes). Next time, I’ll bake the eggplant slices first like in the eggplant parm. Otherwise this is a great recipe.
Fantastic recipe for a cozy self-isolation meal! We let the eggplant weep all afternoon because we were working from home. Perfect texture, taste, and presentation! We will be making this again and again. Thanks for the inspiration.
Ahh yay! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Victoria! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and star rating, I so appreciate it!
Love your recipes! It tasted great! The eggplant was stil very watery. Next time i think i will leave the tin foil off and only cover it when it gets to dark.
I have to agree with some of the other comments. Mine turned out a bit soupy. However, I left it in the oven uncovered for an extra ten minutes and then let it sit for a bit before I served it and it wasn’t too bad. The flavor was outstanding! The only thing I did differently was saute some onion with my garlic. Bottom line, it was delicious even though it was a little messy/watery. Thank you!
Hey Ellen – sorry to hear that this turned out a little watery for you. Did you let the eggplant slices sit with salt for 20-30 minutes and discard / blot up the excess water that was released?
Trying this today, gonna add onion mushrooms, should be great. Thank you
Let me know how it turns out for you, Linda!
Super easy to make and delicious! This was the first meal we’ve tried with eggplant! We’ve added this to our weekly meal rotation. Tastes like lasagna!
Delicious! This is my first eggplant recipe, but it won’t be my last. I think I should have cooked it a bit longer to make the eggplant softer. Do you think other vegetables like zucchini or summer swash would work as well?
Hey John! So glad you enjoyed this recipe!! Thanks for making it. I haven’t tried it, but I bet it would work just fine with yellow squash or zucchini. Let me know if you try it. 🙂
I just made this recipe last night – I think I may have sliced my eggplant too thick – they were hardly cooked when I took them out. I added a full can of stewed tomatoes and some chick peas and am cooking it some more today.I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that, Nathalie. How’d it turn out once you cooked it some more?
Tried this tonight and OH MY LANTA. It was a hit! Definitely going to put this on our menu rotation for dinners!💛
Woo!! That makes me so happy to hear. Thanks for making my recipe and for comin gback to leave a review. I so appreciate it. 🙂
Easy to make and good. However I would add more seasoning than recipe calls for. I did not have ground turkey so had to substitute hamburger. Also had to sub onion for.garlic because I forgot to get it. Still turned out well. Can’t wait to make it again with the right ingredients.
I really liked the recipe. Next time I would peel the eggplant. The tough skin did not seem to add flavor to the dish and made it a little difficult to eat.
Thanks for the feedback, Jan! And thanks for trying this recipe – I so appreciate it!
Turned out amazing. Definitely don’t skip pre-salting and pre-roasting the eggplants! I added extra Italian seasonings and fennel, plus ricotta cheese for extra richness. Big hit in the household and am making it again tonight!
Woo! So happy to hear everyone enjoyed this recipe. Thanks so much for the review! I really appreciate it.
Hi! It would have been nice if you included prepping the eggplant in the instructions. I a “jump to recipe” kinda person. You would have to read the blog to see that it’s best to salt and let sit for 30 minutes. I’m sure the casserole is edible still but watery.
So sorry for the confusion. I actually updated the recipe but forgot to update the blog post. So instead of pre-salting the eggplant, you bake it so it cooks down a bit. Did you make the casserole? Was it watery for you?
How many points is this meal. It looks yummy, but I need to know how many points it is, also I went into my ww app and put the name in and it doesn’t even come up
Thank you,
Irene
Hi, Irene. I’m not sure how many WW points this recipe is but I found this helpful resource that can guide you to the answer.
I made this recipe yesterday and love the result. Delicious and nutritious. Exactly what I needed for a post workout high in protein meal! Tastes great too!
WOO! I am excited to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, Mariya! Thank you for your review & star rating, I so appreciate it.
I made a version of this with elbow noddles and cut up egg plant … it was delicious.
Yay! So glad it turned out for you. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review, Maria. I so appreciate it!
I tried this in the slow cooker because it is SO hot this summer I did not want to warm up my whole house, it was divine! I blended up some parsley, garlic and onion and a splash of chicken broth to sear the turkey, a little olive oil, salt, oregano and pepper. Once brown, I removed the excess water and mixed in marinara sauce. I lined the slow cooker with paper towel to soak up the moisture and cooked in high for 4 hrs. I layered eggplant and turkey as you instructed, everything else I did the same as your recipe. So freaking good, thanks for the inspiration!
WOO! This is amazing, Rocio! I am so glad you’re loving this recipe and it turns out great for you. Love that you were able to make it in the slow cooker, too! Thanks so much for coming back and sharing your review & star rating, I so appreciate it!
this was SO YUMMY 🤤 and very quick/uncomplicated to throw together. loved it & will continue to add this into my small (but growing!) healthy cooking repertoire 🙂
Ah yay! This makes me so happy to hear, Kaity. I am glad you’re loving this casserole and it turned out great of you. Thank you for your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
This recipe is delicious and so easy to make. Thanks!
Great! So happy you are loving this recipe, Barbara! Thanks for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
Brittany, cooking this and realize your blog says to bake this 25 mins covered and 5 minutes uncovered, while the “recipe section” says 15-20 mins uncovered. Please explain.
Hi! So sorry about that Leah, the correct bake time is 15-20 minutes and then 5 uncovered. I just updated the post. Hope it turned out great!