27
Submitted by PaulaG
"There was once a cafeteria in Texas called Wyatts Cafeteria. DH's family would go there after church on Sunday and his mother would get baked eggplant. For years she tried to copy the recipe and came very close. The original recipe was published in the local paper several years ago. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do."
photo by PaulaG 
- Ready In:
- 7hrs 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 14
- Serves:
-
8
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ingredients
- 1 lb eggplant, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1⁄2 lb dried breadcrumbs (I use as did my mother-in-law a herbed stuffing mix)
- 1⁄2 cup canned evaporated milk
- 1⁄4 cup whole milk
- 1⁄4 cup butter, melted
- 1⁄4 cup finely chopped onion
- 1⁄4 cup finely chopped green pepper
- 1⁄4 cup finely chopped celery
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon chopped pimiento
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
- 1⁄4 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 1⁄2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
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directions
- Soak the eggplant cubes in salt water in refrigerator overnight or a minimum of six hours.
- Drain and place in medium saucepan.
- Cover with water and simmer until tender.
- Soak the bread crumbs in milk.
- Saute the onions, green peppers, and celery in melted butter for about 15 minutes or until tender.
- Combine the cooked eggplant, bread crumbs and sauteed vegetables.
- Add the eggs, pimiento, and seasonings; mix thoroughly.
- Place the mixture into a 2 quart baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Remove cover, top with grated cheese and return to oven last 5 minutes of cooking.
- The preparation time includes the soaking time for the eggplant.
Questions & Replies
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I want to make this but need to omit the eggs due to dietary restrictions. What can I use as a substitute for the eggs?
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Reviews
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I followed the recipe almost exactly, except I used red bell peppers instead of green. It tasted just like the Wyatt's original! Thanks.
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This baked eggplant from Wyatt’s Cafeteria was my favorite dish. I want to get all the ingredients to make it but am having problem with the Sage. You say in the recipe to use dried sage but I am only able to find Rubbed Sage or Ground Sage. Would either of these work??????
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I just want to respond to the comment showing right under the recipe. The writer says that they "think this means 1/2 cup...", but that is incorrect. The recipe does call for 1/2 lb (half of a 1 lb loaf) of breadcrumbs.
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This casserole really brings back fond memories of eating at Wyatt's Cafeteria. The only change I made was to leave out the celery -- just my preference. DH loved it and says he doesn't remember having this dish at Wyatt's Cafeteria, but after having two big helpings tonight -- he says he is on his way to making up for lost time. : ) Will definitely make this casserole again. Thanks for sharing. Made for Cooking Tag Mania Special, October, 2013.
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I think this means 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs...not A 1/2 LB...I personally like cracker crumbs which give it a nice dimension. I also use Cream of Mushroom Soup which is not exactly diet food, but is really tasty!
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Tweaks
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I used mozzarella and three cheese italian blend instead, plus three cloves chopped garlic and some green onion.
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This was so good! DH is not a fan of eggplant and when I told him that we were having an eggplant casserole for dinner he was anything but excited. He really, liked this. My changes were using one cup of bread crumbs, all 2 milk, double the veggies, substituted fine chopped red bell pepper for the pimento. I can't wait to try making it again see if I can make it a little healthier, I'm pretty sure it can be done and not lose the delicious flavor and texture. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful, forgiving recipe.
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I ate at Wyatt Cafeteria in Longview Texas from 1964 to 1971. This eggplant casserole is very good and much like what I remember eating at Wyatt's.I made the recipe but find the 1/2 pound of breadcrumbs to be excessive and they overtake the eggplant taste. I will cut it back to one cup of breadcrumbs and perhaps add a little more milk for the proper consistency.My grandmother made an eggplant casserole when I was young and she used sage in it! I was surprised to see sage in this recipe, the first ever since Grandmother's casserole. She made hers very dry, and baked it in a Pyrex 2 quart round dish, always the same dish. It had no cheese on top and had a slightly hot taste. I have never been able to duplicate her recipe. Moral of that tidbit of memory is to ask relatives for their recipes as soon as you discover something you love!This is a good recipe and I think you can make variations of it easily. I make an eggplant casserole similar to this but add about 1/4 cup cornmeal instead of the bread crumbs and 1/2 can of cream of mushroom soup. It is wonderful too!
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Growing up in Dallas Eggplant Cassarole was also one of my favorites. My mother loved it so much she replicated it. She never used dry bread crumbs we never had them she just used what ever bread we had on hand till the texture was right you never know how much water in in the eggplant. Sometimes added strained canned tomatoes instead of pimentos. It was awesome. Another thing she did in the summer was just cover the skillet and left it over a low flame to cook instead of baking it. Both Wyatts and Moms are comfort food for me. Recipes are always just a guide.
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This came out very nice! I halved the recipe, and used evaporated milk instead of whole milk. You didn't say how long to bake the casserole so I baked it about 25 minutes, then another 5 with the cheese. Thanks Paula!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Hixson, Tennessee
I came to this site in March of 2004. It was then called Recipezaar. This site was the first on-line site that I ever joined. I first popped in 2003 while searching for a Peach Cobbler Recipe. In March of 2004, DH was having shoulder surgery and I was looking for a Split Pea Soup. Once again I found myself on Zaar as it came to be called.Over the years I hung out and learned from some of the best home cooks in the country, I posted over 700 recipes on the site, reviewed over 3500 recipes and posted over 3000 food photos. Over the next 10 years the site made many changes and in 2010 it was sold to to Food Network and became Food.com. Until last year we played games, talked and shared with one another. As a result of the community and the relationships I built I got to meet some wonderful people from all over the country. I also have a great number of friends that I have never meet face to face. Some of us still hang out at various places across the net. Zaar was more than a cooking community. It was an internet community of friendship. Life is an adventure ever changing.
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