Keto casserole with eggplant and tomatoes

This vegetable keto casserole combines layers of eggplant and garlic-tomato sauce with spicy chili flakes. The recipe is vegan, low carb, and keto friendly.
Olive oil is the main source of fat here, since about a glass of this product is added to the dish. Eggplants are fried in a pan in olive oil and absorb a lot of oil.

Ingredients

• 2 pcs. medium eggplant
• 4 things. minced garlic cloves
• 1 PC. diced onions
• 400 gr tomatoes, finely chopped
• 200 g sugar-free tomato sauce
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• ¼ tea. spoon. red chili flakes

Directions

1. Wash the eggplant, remove the tails and cut into 0.5 cm thick slices. If the eggplant has a rough skin, remove it. Place the eggplant slices on a flat dish or baking sheet, season with salt and let sit for 20 minutes. This will help remove the bitterness. Blot the eggplant with a paper towel to dry it.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and finely chopped onion and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and toss. Add tomato sauce (the original recipe does not require tomato sauce, so you can skip this ingredient). Season with salt and pepper to taste, then chili flakes and cinnamon (more chili flakes if you like hot). Simmer the mixture over low heat, stirring occasionally, while you cook the eggplant.
3. Preheat oven to 175 C. Preheat a clean skillet over medium heat, add olive oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. Add a few slices of eggplant in one layer and fry on both sides until golden brown (2-4 minutes each). Fry all the eggplants this way. Add the olive oil to the skillet as the eggplant has absorbed it.
4. Gather the layers of the casserole in an ovenproof skillet or glass pan: a layer of fried eggplant, tomato sauce, another layer of eggplant, leftover tomato sauce. Continue until the eggplant runs out and then add the remaining sauce on top. Bake it in the oven for 45 minutes. Cool the eggplant casserole about 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley or basil.