Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Prep time: 15 minutes          Cook time: 65 minutes          Total time: 80 minutes

About:

I had never made (well, actually, I’d never eaten) eggplant Parmesan before the other night. I had always baked eggplant or added it into stir fry. So, I decided to tackle something new. This recipe is not difficult to make, however, it is time consuming. I recommend making this dish on a night on which you have some free time, such as a weekend. It will be worth your time, though! I was very impressed with this recipe and it is one that I will make again and again.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into slices

1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1/4 cup regular breadcrumbs

1/2 large white onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 eggs

2  1/2 tablespoons water

1/2 tablespoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 tablespoons Italian seasoning

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon onion powder

Salt and pepper

Non-stick cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Alright, let the fun begin! Start the fun by preheating the oven to 375 degrees. While the oven is preheating, peel and cut your large eggplant (shape doesn’t matter as long as the pieces aren’t too thick to crisp while baking).
2. Once you’ve chopped up your eggplant in a desirable fashion, whisk two eggs in a mixing bowl. Add the water to the whisked eggs and whisk together for togetherness. Set aside.
3. In a larger but separate mixing bowl, add the 2/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup regular breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/2 tablespoon oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix this together (I used my hands because it was more fun than using a fork or spoon).
4. Get out a large baking dish and coat it with nonstick cooking spray.
5. Now’s the time to dip. Take each individual slice of peeled eggplant and dip it into the egg and water mixture. Give it a careful shake to rid of the excess, then dredge it through the mixture of breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and seasonings. Once it’s coated well, place onto the baking sheet. Do this with every single piece of eggplant. Arrange them on the baking sheet so that they do not touch or overlap.
6. Once you’ve got every piece of eggplant breaded, pop the baking sheet into the oven and let the eggplant bake for 23 minutes on each side. So set your timer for 23 minutes, flip the eggplant pieces, and bake the other side for another 23 minutes. This makes 46 minutes total baking time.
7. While the eggplant pieces are baking, it’s time to focus on the sauce. If you have not done so already, chop the onion and garlic. Spray a skillet with nonstick cooking spray and saute the onion and garlic until the onion is clear and the garlic is fragrant, about 5 minutes.
8. Next, open the 26 oz can of tomato sauce and pour into a saucepan. Add the sauteed onion and garlic. You also want to add 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder, 1/2 tablespoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer.

9. Once the second side of the eggplant has been baked, it’s time to remove it from the  oven. It should look a little something like this:

10. Now it’s time for the real fun. Kick up the oven temperature to 400 degrees. While this temperature is preheating, spray a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

11. Spoon about 3 or 4 tablespoons of the sauce onto the bottom of the dish, and then begin to line the bottom with your first layer of baked eggplant pieces. Once the bottom of the dish is relatively covered with eggplant, pour half of the sauce on top of the eggplant. Once you’ve done that, sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella cheese on top of the sauce.

12. Repeat the process by adding another layer of eggplant pieces on top of the cheese.

13. Then, add another layer of sauce on top of the eggplant. Add the remaining cup of mozzarella cheese on top of the tomato sauce. You should now have the building blocks of baked eggplant Parmesan set into place.

14. Once you’ve built your eggplant Parmesan and the oven is preheated at 400 degrees, place the eggplant Parmesan into the oven and bake for in 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted (I baked mine for 17 minutes).

15. Remove from oven, serve, and enjoy!