Eggplant Parmesan

I got introduced to this well known Italian delicacy a few years ago by my dear hubby during our post-engagement and pre-marriage long distance phone conversations :-) Him being a vegetarian.. living here in the US, he used to search for vegetarian food, everywhere. He used to survive on salad and baked potatoes :-( Then one day while in costco he found a packet of this in the frozen section, tried it and loved it. It was a double bonus for him as first it was vegetarian of course but the best part was it consisted eggplant which he is addicted to. One day during our chit chat I asked him what he had for dinner and he said baingan and cheese... and I went eww..!! :-)

Then after coming here one day he made these (frozen one) for dinner... and I liked it. It was different but good. To impress him I tried making it at home and it was a disaster.. runny sauce, raw eggplants and rubbery cheese. You name it everything went wrong. I promised to myself to never attempt making this again... ever. But then never say never and I tried again and again till I got to this recipe, and now he says this is one of the best he has eaten.

I cannot say this is the authentic recipe but this my version, a healthier and easy way. Instead of deep frying the eggplants, I bake them in the oven and use store bought or home made marinara sauce (see notes) for the sauce. Do give it a try and let me know how it came out. Here's what you need.

Ingredients:

Italian Eggplant ........................... 1 large cut into 1/4 to 1/2 -inch thick round slices

Italian style bread crumbs ............... 1 cup

Egg ......................................... 1 well beaten

Milk ........................................ 1/4 cup

Red chilli flakes .......................... 1 tsp or to taste

Salt and pepper .......................... to taste

Marinara sauce ........................... 2 cups or as needed

Mozzarella cheese ........................ 2 cups

Parmesan cheese ........................ 1/2 cup

Olive oil or butter for topping .......... 2 tblsp

Cooking spray

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 deg F. Ligtly grease a 9x11 inches rectangular glass baking dish with cooking spray. Also line a baking tray with aluminum foil and set aside

2. Take the bradcrumbs and add black pepper and salt on a plate,(be careful with the salt as the bread crumbs sometimes are already salted ) set aside. In a bowl mix eggs and milk, set aside. Now take the eggplant slices dip them in the egg mix and then roll them in the bread crumbs till evenly coated. Continue with all the slices and arrange them on the baking tray lined with baking foil, spray generously with some oil spray and bake them in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes on each side, flipping once. Till they get lightly browned on the top and tender. Take them out and set aside.

3. In the glass pan pour 1 cup of the marinara sauce, sprinkle half of the red chilli flakes. Arrange the eggplant slices on top sprinkle with 1 cup of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of parmesan. Repeat the process with another layer of sauce, eggplant and cheese. Sprinkle olive oil or butter on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in 375 deg F oven for 25- 30 minutes.

4. Remove the foil and broil on high for 2-3 minutes to give it a golden color on top. Remove from the oven and cool it for 10 minutes before serving.

5. Serve with some garlic breads and enjoy the compliments.

Notes:

1. For making marinara at home just heat a tsp of oil in a pan. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and half of a small chopped onion and green bell pepper, saute and add a 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper and 1 tsp of italian seasoning. Lower the heat and let it simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes. Add 1 - 2 tsp of julienned fresh basil leaves mix and done. Use in the recipe as directed.

2.If you can't find italian breadcrmbs just use the plain ones and jazz them up using garlic powder and italian seasoning.

Pin It