This elegant holiday dressing is a lot simpler to make than it looks. The flavor is off the charts. You'll be thinking of this as a year-round side dish once you taste it!
Cook the rice according to your usual method. ! cup of raw rice will yield 3 cups of cooked rice.
Peel the eggplant and chop into approximately ½ inch cubes. (See Notes)
If using bacon, chop into approximately 1” pieces. If using saved bacon grease, measure approximately 3 tablespoons.
Roughly chop the yellow onions, bell peppers and celery. Place these in one prep bowl. Roughly chop the garlic, the green onions (tops and bottoms) and parsley and place those together in another prep bowl.
Combine the Herb and Spice ingredients into a prep bowl.
Place a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the bacon (or bacon grease) and fry until the bacon fat has been rendered. This should take about 5 minutes. You can leave the crispy bacon in the pan or remove it.
Brown the meats in the bacon fat until the pink just disappears. This takes about 5 minutes. It’s optional to remove any excess grease from the Dutch oven.
Add the Trinity to the browned meat and saute for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add the garlic and the Herb and Spice Blend until aromatic, about 3 minutes.
If needed, deglaze the pan with a small amount of chicken or beef stock (or water). Make sure to mix all the fond that is released into the meat and vegetables. Simmer for a few minutes until the liquid evaporates.
Next, add the cubed eggplant to the Dutch oven and stir to combine. Simmer this for about 30 minutes (see Notes) until the eggplant is softened and mushy. Smash the eggplant with the back of your spoon or a potato masher.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add the cooked rice, green onions, and parsley to the meat/eggplant mixture. Stir thoroughly to blend all the ingredients into a homogenized mixture. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. After about 5 minutes cover the Dutch oven and remove it from the heat.
Prepare a casserole dish by spreading softened butter all over the inside. Fold the Eggplant Dressing into the prepared casserole dish
Sprinkle a light coating of seasoned breadcrumbs on top then add about 6 small tabs of butter.
Place the casserole into a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven (uncovered) for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the edges are bubbly.
Notes
You can boil the cubed eggplant in water for 5 to 10 minutes until it is softened. This should cut down on cooking time when you cook the eggplant. I personally do not do this as the eggplant may lose some flavor.When cooking down the eggplant, moderate the heat and use the cover as needed to help render the liquid from the eggplant.Sometimes the seeds in the eggplant can cause a little bitterness, particularly in older eggplant. The seeds can be removed, or you can add a couple of teaspoons of sugar to the mixture before you add the rice.Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3 to 5 days and the freezer for up to 10 months. In either case, make sure to store them in an airtight container.