Eggplant Parm

Oh my goodness. I haven't made this in years and I forgot just how satisfying it is. Eggplant Parmesan was not on my menu or shopping list this week, but eggplant was on sale and I couldn't resist.

One of the reasons I haven't made it in so long is because there is no way to cut this down. Unless you want to make something else immediately with some of the eggplant. Or unless you want to pay an arm and a leg for one of those tiny eggplants. Which defeats the entire purpose of being inspired by a sale item.

With an impulse buy like this, you need to know what else you need. Anything "Parmesan" has the same basic elements: a breaded and fried main component covered in tomato sauce and cheese. The main component can be eggplant, veal, or chicken. And some angel hair pasta and green salad on the side make it a truly great meal.

For this recipe, start by sautéing a clove of garlic and some chopped onion (I used half of a red onion) in a tablespoon of olive oil for a few minutes until starting to soften. Add in a large can (28 oz) of tomato purée, 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon each of dried oregano, dried basil, and salt. Cook on low for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the ends off the eggplant and slice the rest of it in 1/2" slices. Dip each slice in a beaten egg, then dredge in bread crumbs. Heat a little olive oil (1 tablespoon or so) in a large pan and fry the eggplant slices on both sides until they're starting to brown. This doesn't take long, maybe two minutes per side. Add a little more oil to the pan as needed, but go easy on it as the eggplant will soak it up. You just want to add a little drizzle between batches so the breadcrumbs will brown up nice and not dry out. 

Spray a 9x12" baking dish with baking spray. Lay half of the fried eggplant slices in the dish. Spoon half of the tomato sauce over. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese generously over the top, then top with half an 8 oz bag of shredded mozzarella. Repeat the layers, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. If you use a slightly larger dish and have a slightly smaller eggplant, you'll be lucky enough to wind up with little crispy bits of cheese around the edges, like below. Yum!

For the single diner, this reheats well in the microwave.