Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Tasty Tuesday: Eggplant Parmesan!

This week on Tasty Tuesday!

My favorite Christmas dinner:
Eggplant Parmesan over pasta!


The first time I had eggplant parmesan was a year ago when I went to a cooking class up the street and I seriously fell in love with the dish. I've tried it so many places since but never found one quite as delicious. It's done a little different than most recipes and I've had a couple people who have always hated eggplant parmesan tell me they love it. So definitely a keeper recipe! And great for holiday meals if you have a veggie guest attending.


No eggs or breadcrumbs in this one. 

Peel and slice eggplant into thin pieces. I aim for a little thicker than 1/8th of an inch. 
Then rub both sides of each slice with salt.


Let salted eggplant sit for 2-3 hours. 

I use a baking pan lined with 3 sheets of paper towels between each layer of eggplant.


After eggplant has drained dip each piece in flour.
(I do this in batches as they fry so the flour doesn't get soggy)

Then fry in vegetable oil on medium/high heat until nicely browned.
(You can add in some olive oil for flavoring)

Skipping the egg wash and breadcrumbs keeps the overall dish from that soggy feel in the end.

Next layering it all up. 
Start with a cup of sauce then eggplant, mozzarella, parmesan, basil. 
Repeat until ingredients are all used. Ending with cheese on the top. 
Should be 3-4 layers.


Bake for 30 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. 
I like to serve the eggplant parmesan over a bed of pasta and with fresh basil.

The great thing about this recipe is the flexibility. 
You can make a ton of it or just a little, add in more cheese or less depending on your preference, skip the basil, add something else, etc. It's not really going to cause any trouble with it coming out right in the end. 


Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

Total time: 3-4 hours
Serves: 8
Preheat oven to 350

2 eggplant
1 1/2 pounds shredded mozzarella
1 cup parmesan cheese
2 jars marinara sauce
spaghetti noodles
dried basil
fresh basil for garnish
vegetable oil for frying
1 cup flour

  • Peel and slice eggplant thinly
  • Rub each slice, front and back, with salt and layer between paper towels to drain. Allow to sit 2-3 hours
  • Dip each slice in flour then fry in vegetable oil on med/high heat until golden brown. Flour the eggplant as you go instead of all at the start. If you do them all at once the moisture in the eggplant will cause the flour to clump together and make a mess.
  • After the eggplant has been cooked remove and drain on paper towels before adding to the main dish.
  • Layer the eggplant starting with 1 cup sauce at the bottom of a 13x9" baking dish. Then: Eggplant, mozzarella, 1/3 cup parmesan. Sprinkle on dried basil. Repeat layers ending with cheese on the top. Total you should have 3-4 layers
  • Bake at 350 for 30 minutes
  • Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving
  • Serve over pasta and with a basil garnish




2 comments:

  1. I have never had eggplant anything. But I have to say anything that has a pound & a half of mozzarella cheese sounds good to me. :-) I will have to try your eggplant parmesan. It looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hadn't either until last year Tonya and now it's one of my favorite veggies :) It's a crazy amount of cheese but OMG it's so good! Hope you enjoy it!

      Delete

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