Oven-Baked-Eggplant Parm

[QSis]

This recipe is a keeper!

I had a hankering for eggplant parm, but HATE all the frying! Oven-baked eggplant is the way to go!

Made this much simpler recipe, used sliced mozzarella instead of shredded, added some browned Italian sausage and it was EXCELLENT! LOVED IT!

Next time, 10 minutes on a side for the eggplant before assembling. Oh, and I didn't do the salt in the colander thing, either.

Very filling - no need for pasta or bread!

My photos under the recipe.

Lee


Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Rated:

Submitted By: Dollface
Photo By: YPMagnusson

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Ready In: 4 Hours 5 Minutes
Servings: 6

"Eggplant slices are coated with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and baked between layers of tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese for a filling Italian-inspired meal."
Ingredients:
2 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch
slices
1 tablespoon salt, or as needed
1 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 (28 ounce) jar garlic-and-tomato pasta
sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (16 ounce) package shredded
mozzarella cheese, or as needed
1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Directions:
1. Place eggplant slices in a colander; sprinkle both sides of each slice with salt. Allow to sit for at least 3 hours. Wipe excess moisture from eggplant slices with paper towels. 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet. 3. Mix bread crumbs and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese together in a bowl. 4. Dip eggplant slices in beaten egg; coat with bread crumb mixture. Arrange coated eggplant slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. 5. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned and crisp, about 5 minutes per side. 6. Cover the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole dish with a layer of spaghetti sauce; top with a layer of eggplant slices. Sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of the remaining Parmesan cheese and 1/3 the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients, ending with a cheese layer. Sprinkle with basil. 7. Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is bubbling and golden brown, about 35 minutes. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2015 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com 4/22/2015

 

[JoeV]

I LOVE eggplant, so this is right up my alley. I also would have passed on sweating the eggplant. My mother used to do that, but I never saw the point in it.

If I were to make this, I would take the sausage out of its casing, pan fry it, then crumble it to put between the layers of eggplant and call it eggplant lasagna or eggplant casserole. Regardless of the name, I would call it delizioso! Mangiare!

 

[bigjim]

Is the 4 hours, 5 minutes a misprint?

 

[QSis]

Is the 4 hours, 5 minutes a misprint?

Jim, the part of the recipe that says, "Ready In: 4 Hours 5 Minutes", is only if you are salting and sweating the eggplant for 3 hours.

I didn't do that.

I buy younger, smaller eggplants, and they are not bitter at all.

Lee

 

[ChowderMan]

the salting is supposed to do two things:

reduce the bitterness
firm up the flesh ...by extracting some water.

one will find multiple opinions about the bitterness thing - it's in/on/under the skin, it's in the seeds, it's just the male/female fruit, yadda yadda yadda

the newer varieties are seriously less bitter / prone to bitter than 30 years back, altho water stress in the home garden will aggravate any bitterness tendency.

I always peel mine - don't care for the texture "with skin"
and I also gave up the salting/draining decades ago.

couple weeks back - with parm - I much prefer to pan brown/crisp the breading before baking...

 

[QSis]

Hey, that looks great, CM!

Did the parm do any melting for you?

Lee

 

[ChowderMan]

melt . . . absodrooloopy!

I bought a wedge of parm and had the deli slice it for me.

 

[QSis]

Another round of this for summer 2016.

This time, I used garlic and cheese chicken sausages, and cooked in my Copper Chef pan.

So filling!

Lee

 

[QSis]

I made this again over the weekend, using reduced fat mozzarella and Italian turkey sausage.

Although I'm convinced that baking eggplant slices is definitely the way to go, pork sausages and full-fat cheese has it all over the diet stuff!

Still, a pretty great meal for me.

Lee