Eggplant Parmesan? Sure, Why Not.

Do you ever notice certain times of the day, or days, when you’re better at a particular thing than others? Like relaxation, for example. Some people are at their best in the morning and others (like myself) are night owls. Or studying. Some like to have peace and quiet and others like loud music. Or cooking, with preference given to weekends as opposed to weekdays.

I’ve found that my best cooking days are on the weekends, Saturdays in particular, when I have all the time in the world and zero obligations.

I confess that I’ve been one of those people who hordes recipes in my allrecipes profile, constantly likes all the Tasty and Delish videos on Facebook, and pins a plethora of delights on Pinterest; but I haven’t really tried to make anything. Well, I’ve tried a few, but my saving-to-making ratio is like 250,325:5. On one particular Saturday I decided to break the cycle on look-don’t-try and prepare a new recipe, Eggplant Parmesan.

I’ve only had the Maggiano’s version of the dish, which is lovely, but I’ve never ventured on my own to the realm of Italian inspired dishes (except for spaghetti) so I was excited by the challenge. After searching allrecipes, I selected the version with the most likes, watched the video, read the reviews, and modified it. I must say it turned out VERY well the first time and I made it a second time for my Hun, who co-signed the flavor.

Ingredients

  • 1 eggplant
  • 2 eggs, beaten in a bowl.
  • 4 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, in a shallow dish
  • 1 jar of Classico traditional tomato sauce
  • 1 (16oz) package of Sargent 4-Italian blend cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 tbsp dried basil
  • garlic powder to taste
  • onion powder to taste
  • salt to taste
  • Italian seasoning to taste

Directions

  1. Rinse the eggplant with water. Slice into 1/4” pieces.
  2. Sprinkle eggplant with salt then let sit in a colander in the sink for 30 min. The eggplant will sweat and the bitter taste will be removed. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel.
  3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 
  4. Sprinkle dry eggplant slices with onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and Italian seasoning to taste on one side only. Do not season both sides. 
  5. Dip eggplant slices in egg, then coat in bread crumbs. Spray baking sheet well with cooking spray or EVOO, or line with foil and spray cooking spray. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes on each side or until slightly crisp and lightly browned.

    Toasted eggplant slices.
    Fresh out of the oven.
  6. In a 9×13 inch baking dish, spread 1/3 cup of tomato sauce to cover the bottom. Place one layer of eggplant slices (the largest slices) in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Repeat with remaining ingredients. End final layer with sauce and cheese. Sprinkle basil on top.
  7. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.
  8. Serve, eat, save leftovers for lunch, impress co-workers, win a medal, retire in a bed of victory.

-F&C

 

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