easy eggplant parmesan |
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A great alternate use for Spaghetti Sauce II--Laurie & the Jars. “Mr. Carnivore” of the household will eat this even when I don’t use sausage in the baseline sauce. The kick of the sauce is balanced by the eggplant and cheese.
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Slice eggplant into ½” thick rounds. Scramble 1 egg in a bowl, adding a little water to increase the egg dipping liquid. Keep another bowl of panko. Dip eggplant slices in egg, then panko and fry on both sides til golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
If frozen, warm up the spaghetti sauce. Spoon a little around the bottom of a 9 x 13” pyrex or baking dish. Put the largest eggplant slices down; 6-8 will fit. Spoon a little sauce over each eggplant and then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Add the next largest slices of eggplant and repeat (sauce, then cheese). You should end up with 3-4 layers of eggplant that are a little taller than the top of the baking dish. At the top stack, after you have sprinkled with the last bit of mozzarella cheese, sprinkle with Parmesano Reggiano if you like.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese has browned and everything is bubbly. Take out of oven, let sit for 5 minutes.
If frozen, warm up the spaghetti sauce. Spoon a little around the bottom of a 9 x 13” pyrex or baking dish. Put the largest eggplant slices down; 6-8 will fit. Spoon a little sauce over each eggplant and then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Add the next largest slices of eggplant and repeat (sauce, then cheese). You should end up with 3-4 layers of eggplant that are a little taller than the top of the baking dish. At the top stack, after you have sprinkled with the last bit of mozzarella cheese, sprinkle with Parmesano Reggiano if you like.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese has browned and everything is bubbly. Take out of oven, let sit for 5 minutes.
NOTES:
1) You can also make this using zucchini instead of eggplant. I do this in the summer when zucchini (and squash) go into overdrive. I've also used a combination of white squash, zucchini and eggplant.
2) If you use the combination of zucchini and especially if you add squash into the mix, recommend adding a bit of spicy Italian sausage to the base sauce to balance out the sweetness.
1) You can also make this using zucchini instead of eggplant. I do this in the summer when zucchini (and squash) go into overdrive. I've also used a combination of white squash, zucchini and eggplant.
2) If you use the combination of zucchini and especially if you add squash into the mix, recommend adding a bit of spicy Italian sausage to the base sauce to balance out the sweetness.