Eggplant with Tomato-Mint Sauce and Goat Cheese

I make this just as directed by the recipe I found from Bon Apetit Magazine, Feb. 1998.  Well, I just cut the eggplant a little thinner, that's all though.  The combination of mint, goat cheese, tomatoes and eggplant is delicious.  One other variation, substituting feta for the goat cheese is heavenly as well.

4 Servings

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 1-pound eggplants, trimmed, cut into 1/4" thick crosswise rounds

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

½ cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 28-ounce can Italian-style tomatoes
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ cup crumbled soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet)
8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 500°F.   Spray 2 large baking sheets with oil spray. Arrange eggplant rounds on sheets; brush lightly with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 10 minutes. Turn over and bake until tender and golden, about 10 minutes longer. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Meanwhile make sauce: Heat remaining 1/2 tbsp oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes with their juices, mint and oregano and simmer until sauce thickens and is reduced to 1 3/4 cups, breaking up tomatoes with back of spoon, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon half of tomato sauce into shallow 2-quart baking dish. Arrange eggplant rounds atop sauce, overlapping slightly. Spoon remaining sauce over them and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with basil.