Baked Cheesy Eggplant

Have you ever eaten eggplant? I hadn't, until tonight.  We are seasonal produce shoppers in this house, meaning we buy whatever is cheapest.  Thus, we had eggplant.

I wasn't really sure what to do with eggplant, but this was the perfect dinner for me tonight.  I guess I'm still not really sure what eggplant tastes like, since I had it smothered in sauce and cheese... but still good!

Ingredients:
1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2" rounds
garlic powder
olive oil
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 c. ricotta cheese
3/4 c. mozzarella cheese
3/4 c. parmesan cheese
3/4 c. spaghetti sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brush both sides of eggplant slices with olive oil and spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat some oil in a pan over medium heat.  Added green pepper and cook until softened, then add diced tomatoes.  Cook about 5-8 minutes.

In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and 1/2 cup parmesan.

When the eggplant is finished, layer in a 9x13 pan.  Cover with the pepper and tomato mixture, then spread the cheese mixture evenly over the top. Pour spaghetti sauce over the cheese, then top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan.  Bake for 30 minutes or until eggplant is tender.