Mediterranean foods are often touted for their health benefits, and for good reason. Mediterranean dishes are usually packed with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats. Casseroles are idea for meal prep because they yield several portions, which means less cooking and more netflixing. These are personal sized, which makes them an easy grab and re-heat dinner option.

However, you can also throw everything into a larger casserole dish and cook together. You also have the option of having these with or without the cheese, for all you vegans out there.

Heads up: To remove the bitterness of the eggplant, after chopping, consider letting them sit in a bowl of salted water overnight.

Let’s get started ya’ll. Preheat the oven to 425F. Heat the olive oil, and add the garlic, onion, and paprika. Sauté over medium heat for a couple minutes. Next add the tomatoes and eggplant. Mix together, and allow to cook for 5 minutes with the lid on. Then add the chickpeas, olives, tomato sauce, and water, and cook with the lid on for 10 minutes. Once done, add the stew into 4 small ~1-cup ramekins.

If you don’t have ramekins, you can also pour into a baking dish, and portion them individually after. Optional: Top each ramekin with 1 tablespoon of ricotta cheese Place the ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown. Remove from the oven, and top with za’atar and fresh parsley. Enjoy with pita, pasta, quinoa, or brown rice!

Hope you give these a try! xo

Mediterranean Vegetarian Mini Casseroles

Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 medium onion chopped
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1 1/2 cups tomatoes chopped
3 cups eggplant cubed into 1" chunks
1 1/2 cups chickpeas cooked
8 black olives pitted & sliced
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup water

Optional

1/4 cup ricotta
Za'atar to taste
Fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425F
Heat the olive oil, and add the garlic, onion, and paprika. Sauté over medium heat for a couple minutes
Next add the tomatoes and eggplant. Mix together, and allow to cook for 5 minutes with the lid on
Then add the chickpeas, olives, tomato sauce, and water, and cook with the lid on for 10 minutes
Once done, add the stew into 4 small ~1-cup ramekins. If you don't have ramekins, you can also pour into a baking dish, and portion them individually after
Optional: Top each ramekin with a tablespoon of cheese
Place the ramekins on a baking sheet
Bake for 10 minutes
Remove from the oven, and top with za'atar and parsley. Enjoy with pita, pasta, quinoa or brown rice!