Eggplant was a vegetable that we never really had in our household while growing up.  With its dark purple color and softer consistency, I became increasingly more curious about this beauty of a vegetable.  But how to use it?  I had no clue.  Nevertheless, I was determined to try this one way or another.  My very first experience with this was at an Italian restaurant.  I wanted to taste this gem as it was intended to taste, so I ordered the Eggplant Parmesan and boy was I sold.  I needed to try to make this myself.

Immediately, I started to search around to see how Eggplant Parmesan is put together.  It is actually quite simple.  Of course when you make your own homemade sauce, it just tastes better.

So, I put together my sauce along with the typical ingredients in this dish and it was exactly what I was looking for.  Indeed I was happy.

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The first step in making this is to cut the eggplant into ¼” rounds.

Salt the slices liberally and allow to weep, set in a colander for one hour.  This will help to pull some of the moisture out.  Do make sure to pat them with a paper towel afterwards so it is not too salty.  Combine breadcrumbs, half a cup of Parmesan and also a pitch of salt.  Set up a dredging station with flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumb mixture.  Bread the eggplant and fry in hot oil.

Next, start making the tomato sauce by heating the olive oil to medium-high.  Add the diced onion and sliced garlic and cook until soft.  This should take about 5-6 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and fresh herbs and bring it to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minuets.  Remove it from the heat and set aside.

Now we can start to assemble the dish.  I always put a little sauce on the bottom of my baking dish to keep things from sticking.  After the sauce is down put half the fried eggplant in the bottom of the pan.  You may need to overlay it somewhat.

Sprinkle on fresh Parmesan.  Ladle over another layer of sauce.  Cover with a layer of mozzarella.  Then put down the rest of the eggplant, Parmesan, sauce, mozzarella and finish with a bit more Parmesan.

Finally, bake for 20-30 minutes.

So, there you have it.  Your Eggplant Parmesan is ready.  It is definitely worth the extra effort to make this dish.  It is so delicious!

For a list of all Shannon’s recipe’s, check out the Recipes Made With Love page.  Here you will find so many delicious ideas.  If your in the mood for a snack, need a meal idea or just a warm drink, recipes made with love has got a variety of options to pick from.  Here are some of our favorites.

Vegetarian Bean Burritos

Egg Plant With Portabella Mushrooms

Vegetable Fried Quinoa

EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Prep Time:  1.5 Hours

Cook Time:  30 Minutes

Servings:  10

Ingredients

2 Medium-Large Eggplants

1 ½ Cups Dried Breadcrumbs

1 Medium Onion

2 Tbsp. Dried Parsley

4 Cloves Garlic

1 28 ounce Can Crushed Tomatoes

1 28 ounce Can Diced Tomatoes

3 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Basil

1 Tbsp. Fresh Thyme Leaves

1 Cup Grated Parmesan

6 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan

1 Cup All-Purpose Flour

4 Large Eggs, Beaten

12 Ounces Sliced Mozzarella

Oil needed for frying

Salt

Pepper

Instructions

1.  Cut eggplant into ¼” rounds.  Salt liberally and allow to weep set in a colander for one hour.  Press eggplant dry between paper towels.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly oil a shallow 9 x 13 glass baking dish.
3. Combine breadcrumbs with parsley, 2 minced garlic cloves, ½ cup Parmesan and ¼ tsp salt in a pie plate.  Set up dredging station of flour, beaten eggs mixed with ½ Parmesan, and breadcrumbs.
4. Heat a large skillet to medium-high.  Pour in enough oil to come ¼” up the sides.  Dredge eggplant in flour, tapping off excess, then egg, dripping off excess into plate.  Coat in crumbs.  Fry in hot oil until golden brown on both sides.  Set cooked eggplant to drain on paper towel lined baking sheet.  Lightly salt one side of eggplant.
5. Heat 3 Tbsp. olive oil in medium sauté pan until smoking.  Add onion with 2 cloves sliced garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 5-6 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, basil, and also thyme.  Then bring to a boil.  Simmer for 20 minutes and season with salt and pepper.
6. Cover bottom of baking dish with a layer of sauce.  Place half the eggplant in the pan, overlapping somewhat if necessary.  Sprinkle on 2 Tbsp. of Parmesan.  Ladle half the sauce over the eggplant.  Cover with half the mozzarella.  Repeat layer of eggplant, Parmesan, sauce, mozzarella and finish with 2 Tbsp. of Parmesan.
7. Bake approximately 20-30 minutes, until cheese is hot and bubbling.  Let Eggplant Parmesan stand 10 minutes before serving.