Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant is a vegetable which I usually love to have around. I am such a vegetable lover, I probably could go vegetarian, but not the family.

Eggplant actually have no real flavor and they take from what seasonings you use. My mother always used to peel and cut into small rounds and dredge in flour and season salt and fry in a pan. We as children loved to eat it and dip it in ketchup. I always loved this.

I had eggplant on a pizza when I lived in NY and it was a different way of eating it. So then I tried to come up with my own Eggplant Parmesan. I actually just dip it in egg beaters and then into a bread crumb mix of bread crumb, season salt and garlic powder and then lay on parchment paper and slip into the oven until brown and then create the Parmesan casserole part.

The sauce on top, that I prefer is a simple marinara. I actually can make that, but I enjoy Paul Newman's Marinara. Then a hand full of mozzarella cheese and you are ready for an enjoyable take on eggplant.

Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients:

1 egg plant

1/2 cup of egg substitute (or egg beaten) (or water, it has no flavor value at all)

2 cups of bread crumbs

2 tsp of season salt and garlic powder

1 jar of Paul Newman's Marinara  (or your own sauce)

1 cup of mozzarella cheese.

Instructions:

1) Peel the eggplant (I like eggplant and I kept the skin (it is tough))

2) Cut into 1/2 rounds, stay with consistency so they bake the same amount of time

3) Take a large Ziploc bag or a bowl and put in bread crumbs and the seasoning.

4) Dip each round in the egg and then toss in crumbs.( I just lightly do mine)

5) Lay on a sheet tray with parchment or non stick sprayed foil.

6) Pop into oven for about 30 minutes at 350 to start to brown them.

7) Remove when done. Take a casserole dish and spread a little olive oil on the bottom and a little sauce. Then lay in the ready eggplant. Usually I like to keep to the one layer, if I have extra I will cut them and fill in spaces or kinda lay on the corners of the three or more. So the bite isn't to lasagna like. (you can make a lasagna too)

8) Pour rest of sauce all over it. Cheese it up.

9) Pop in oven 350 just to brown and melt the cheese.

Let cool a bit, so that you can get the flavors of the dish. This is great heated up the next day. I also take a pizza crust and put on it thinly and then cheese again, for a whole new meal.


I hope that by me sharing all these little recipes and ramblings that at least you find my blog a bit enjoyable.

The sun has been shining here in GA and there will be summer on it's heels.. with lots of new things to try.

So get out there..make it yours.. and remember ..It really is just that simple.