The Wife's Eggplant Parmigiana

Note: the following post is from the wife.

Okay, The Husband has posted several pictures of this, and I promised to type up the recipe…quite some time ago. This is one of my favorite meals to make with eggplant, mostly because it’s one of the only ways I can get my husband to eat said vegetable. I also feel it’s an improvement on Olive Garden’s eggplant parmigiana because the eggplant isn't squishy.

Eggplant Parmigiana
via The Wife

Ingredients

(assuming you’re only serving 2, but this is easily doubled)

• 1 large eggplant (Of course, this is subjective. I grew what I considered to be a pretty large eggplant this summer, but then I saw one at a farmer’s market that put mine to shame…)

  

  This little fellow seems fairly shameless.

• 1 egg
• ½ cup bread crumbs (I use Italian style, but I also supplement with Italian herbs. In a pinch, you can use regular bread crumbs.)
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil (You might want to add more of these herbs if you are using regular vs. Italian style bread crumbs.)
• Salt and pepper to taste (I actually use a Tuscany Blend of salt and pepper)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Slice eggplant into ¼ - ½ inch rounds and soak in salted water for at least 30 minutes to remove bitterness. (I tend more towards the ¼ inch slices. Any thicker and my husband won’t eat them.)
2. Preheat oven to 375F.
3. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and a tablespoon of water.
5. In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, herbs, and salt and pepper.
6. Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture allowing excess to drip off. Then dip in bread crumb mixture and coat well. (This can get really messy. I highly recommend removing any rings before performing this step – unless you’re a fan of bread crumb-caked jewelry.) Place eggplant slices on baking sheet.
7. Bake slices 20-25 minutes, until golden-brown on the bottom.
8. Flip slices and bake for another 20-25 minutes.
9. Remove cookie sheet and top each slice of eggplant with a sprinkling of shredded mozzarella. Return to the oven for approximately 5 minutes – until cheese is melted and bubbly.

I like to serve this with a side of pasta and top the whole dish with pasta sauce.

Good times!