Eggplant Parmesan with Grilled Vegetables
Speed - 97%
Simplicity - 99%
Tastiness - 98%
98%
Delicious!
Delicious and hearty dish. Even the most devoted meat eaters in my crowd loved it!
Ingredients
- 4 Medium Eggplant
- 64 ounces Tomato Sauce
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 cup Flour
- 4 Medium Eggs
- 2.5 cups Fine Breadcrumbs
- 1 cup Canola Oil
- 0.75 cup Grated Parmesan
- 4 medium Fresh Mozzarella pieces thinly sliced
Instructions
- Slice eggplant crosswise into ½” rounds. Toss with a pinch of salt and set aside to drain in a colander.
- Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Warm the tomato sauce over low heat in a small saucepan, set aside.
- Pour the flour into a wide bowl or dish, crack and beat the eggs into another similar dish, and pour the breadcrumbs and parmesan into a third dish and mix well.
- Meanwhile, heat the canola oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat.
- Once eggplant has drained, pull and pat dry. Dip each pieces into the flour to coat evenly, then the egg, then breadcrumb mixture.
- Pan fry in the canola oil without letting the pieces touch, about 3 minutes on each side. Set each aside on a towel to drain.
- Pour half the tomato sauce in a baking dish, spread the fried eggplant over evenly, then top with the remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle extra parmesan over, and layer the mozzarella on top.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the mozzarella is melted.
- Serve with your favorite grilled vegetables or salad.
The eggplant parm is a classic Italian-American fried dish. Here I have you using your favorite canned tomato sauce, but if you have a great homemade recipe by all means insert it here! This is a great summer dish to highlight the vegetables at the peak of their season. My favorite way to enjoy this dish is to serve it with grilled zucchini tossed with basil, and a toasty piece of sourdough bread.
I like the big, dark purple eggplant varieties, but if you are adventurous and search your farmer's market or specialty grocery store in the right time of year you can find smaller and more diverse varieties to try. All the same instructions apply, just cook them for a less time if they're much smaller!
Rinse and slice the eggplant crosswise into ½” rounds. Toss with a very generous pinch of salt and set aside to drain in a colander. If you have time to do this ahead it can drain for quite some time before you get to the final procedure!
Meanwhile, heat your oven to 350 degrees F (you will be using it to bake the dish after frying the eggplant). Warm the tomato sauce over low heat in a small saucepan, and then set aside.
Pour the flour into a wide bowl or dish and season it with salt and pepper. Whisk it well to aerate it and break up any clumps. Crack the eggs into another similar dish and add a small pinch of salt, then beat them well till they are fluid. Finally, pour the breadcrumbs and parmesan into a third dish and mix well.
Here it is best to use the finest breadcrumbs possible– a perfect variety is the Japanese style breadcrumb known as panko. It is made up of toasted white bread without the crusts, and coats very evenly. In the absence of this option, you can make your own by grinding stale or toasted leftover bread well.
Meanwhile, heat the canola oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat to pan fry. If you flick a little dry flour in the oil and it sizzles, then you know it's hot enough. Once eggplant has drained, pull and pat dry. Dip each pieces into the flour to coat evenly, then the egg, then breadcrumb mixture.
Carefully set the breaded eggplant into the hot canola oil, frying several at a time without overcrowding the pan– the pieces shouldn't touch. Fry each side about 3 minutes or until the crust is golden brown, adjusting the heat on your stove as necessary. Set aside on a towel to drain and make sure the oil is hot again before you fry the next batch.
Pour half the warm tomato sauce in a baking or large casserole dish, spread the fried eggplant over evenly, then top with the remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle any extra parmesan over, and layer the mozzarella on top.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the mozzarella is melted and parts have started to brown. Serve with your favorite grilled vegetables or salad and a thick slice of toast.
Ingredients
- 4 Medium Eggplant
- 64 ounces Tomato Sauce
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 cup Flour
- 4 Medium Eggs
- 2.5 cups Fine Breadcrumbs
- 1 cup Canola Oil
- 0.75 cup Grated Parmesan
- 4 medium Fresh Mozzarella pieces thinly sliced
Instructions
- Slice eggplant crosswise into ½” rounds. Toss with a pinch of salt and set aside to drain in a colander.
- Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Warm the tomato sauce over low heat in a small saucepan, set aside.
- Pour the flour into a wide bowl or dish, crack and beat the eggs into another similar dish, and pour the breadcrumbs and parmesan into a third dish and mix well.
- Meanwhile, heat the canola oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat.
- Once eggplant has drained, pull and pat dry. Dip each pieces into the flour to coat evenly, then the egg, then breadcrumb mixture.
- Pan fry in the canola oil without letting the pieces touch, about 3 minutes on each side. Set each aside on a towel to drain.
- Pour half the tomato sauce in a baking dish, spread the fried eggplant over evenly, then top with the remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle extra parmesan over, and layer the mozzarella on top.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the mozzarella is melted.
- Serve with your favorite grilled vegetables or salad.
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