Granny’s Cajun Eggplant Dressing

When the long days of summer bring bountiful produce to gardens, I love to cook the eggplant dressing that my mother made for years and years.  Eggplants have been plentiful at the grocery stores and farmers markets lately.  Their shiny, deep purple skins are like dark jewels in the vegetable displays.  While Granny’s Cajun Eggplant Dressing takes a while to cook, its steps are easy, and it can be made a day or two ahead of time.

Eggplant Plus the Cajun Trinity

My mom’s recipe uses globe (sometimes called American) eggplants or Italian eggplants.  One large or two small eggplants work well in this dish.  To season the dressing, she used the Cajun trinity—chopped onion, celery, and bell pepper—plus some garlic and Cajun seasoning.

It’s important to dice each member of the trinity as well as the eggplant into very small cubes.  This allows all the vegetables to meld into one as they cook.

Ground beef gives the dressing heft, while rice acts as a binder.

My mother browned her ground beef first, then added the trinity and cooked it until the vegetables were wilted.  I start my eggplant dressing by cooking the trinity first, in order to get the onions, celery, and bell pepper as soft as possible.  Next, I add the ground beef, taking care to break it up into small pieces that can brown well.  Last, I put the pile of finely chopped eggplant in the skillet with a bit of water and Cajun seasoning.

The lid goes on the pot and eggplant magic has permission to start happening.

Disappearing Eggplant

This recipe is good for an afternoon when you can spend 30 minutes getting the dish going, then have an hour or two to stop by the stove occasionally and give the eggplant base a stir. My recipe card, written with my mom’s directions for making the eggplant dressing reads, “Can simmer a long time.”

I have vivid memories of my mother keeping a small glass of water next to the covered deep skillet of dressing base simmering on the stove.  Every now and then she would lift the skillet’s lid to stir the contents and check the consistency.  If she thought it looked dry or if it was sticking to the bottom of the pan, she would add a few tablespoons of water, then cover the pot and let it keep simmering.  She instructed me to cook the dressing mixture until the eggplant “disappeared.”  After one to two hours of simmering, the eggplant cubes resign themselves to dissolve into the rest of the ingredients.  Then it’s time to add the cooked rice and fresh herbs.

I add dried basil towards the end of cooking for an extra layer of flavor. This wasn’t part of my mom’s recipe, but I think Buttons would approve.

Fresh parsley and basil leaves bring a grassy note plus a bit of color to the finished dish.  Green Tabasco, added at the table, provides a bit of zip.

You can make the dressing 1-2 days ahead of serving it using one of two methods.  Either cool and refrigerate the base once it’s cooked, then reheat it and add freshly cooked rice.  Or mix the rice and base together, refrigerate covered, then reheat it in a skillet with a few tablespoons of water added to refresh the rice.  With either method, add the fresh herbs right before serving.  You can also microwave the cold dressing to warm it up in a similar manner.

This hearty dressing can be the main dish for a great summer dinner.My mother used to sometimes serve eggplant dressing as a side dish at barbecues.

Lately we’ve enjoyed this eggplant dressing alongside fresh sliced tomatoes and a green vegetable or salad. I like seasoning the summer tomatoes with salt and black pepper, then drizzling them with olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar. Their bright flavor and acidic notes complement the eggplant dressing well.

Granny’s Cajun Eggplant Dressing

Dawn Dobie

The Cajun trinity, eggplant, beef, and rice come together to create a satisfying meal.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 1 tablespoon neutral vegetable oil such as canola, grapeseed, sunflower, etc
• 1 yellow onion peeled and finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• ½ green bell pepper finely chopped
• 1 pound ground beef
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 small or 1 large globe eggplant peeled and finely diced
• Water
• Cajun seasoning such as Tony Chacere
• 1 teaspoon dried basil or more
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil leaves optional
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce
• 1 cup long grain white rice cooked according to package directions

Instructions

 

• Heat the vegetable oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onions, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the chopped celery and bell pepper to the onion mixture and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes.
• Add the ground beef to the mixture in the skillet and season it with 1 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning. Using the side of a wooden spoon or spatula, break the beef up into small portions. Continue breaking it up, flipping it in the skillet, and stirring it occasionally until the meat has browned, about 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic to the beef mixture in the skillet and cook 1 minute.
• Add the chopped eggplant and ½ cup water to the beef mixture. Stir to incorporate the eggplant pieces into the beef mixture. Cover the skillet and lower the heat to simmer.
• Every 15 minutes or so, stir the mixture to coat the eggplant with any liquid in the skillet. Bring the eggplant pieces around the perimeter of the pan to the center and move the pieces from the center to the edges. Continue cooking the eggplant mixture over low heat this way, adding ¼ cup of water at a time when necessary for 1-2 hours.
• During the last 30 minutes of cooking the eggplant dressing, make the rice.
• To check if the dressing is done, press on the eggplant pieces to see if they have collapsed into very soft texture. If so, press on them with the back of spoon to mash them up a bit.
• Fluff the rice with a fork and add to the eggplant mixture. Stir to combine well. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper, dried basil, or Cajun seasoning if desired.
• Right before serving, add the chopped parsley and basil leaves to the dressing. Stir to distribute well.
• Serve with Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce, if desired.

Notes

Adapted from a recipe by Buttons Adamson, my mom.

You can make the dressing 1-2 days ahead of serving, using one of two methods.  Either cool, cover, and refrigerate the base once it's cooked, then reheat it and add freshly cooked rice.  Or mix the rice and base together, refrigerate covered, then reheat it in a skillet with a few tablespoons of water added to refresh the rice.  With either method, add the fresh herbs right before serving.  You can also microwave the cold dressing to warm it up in a similar manner.