Baked Eggplant Parmesan

I am definitely a meat lover, but once my sister became a vegetarian I became interested in some of the meatless meals out there. I've always been intrigued by the idea of eggplant parmesan, so recently I embarked on making it for her (along with a meat lasagna for those in the family who weren't willing to give it a try). The meaty texture of the eggplant, combined with plenty of sauce and cheese makes this dish a very filling and satisfying meal that will make even non-vegetarians forget that there isn't any meat in it. This version is healthier than many others out there, because you bake the breaded eggplant, rather than frying it in oil and butter.

What you'll need:
2 whole Eggs, beaten
1 whole Eggplant
1 1/4 cup Seasoned Breadcrumbs
1 jar of Pasta Sauce
1/2 cup of shredded Cheese (Mozzarella, Italian, any kind you like)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 tsp dried Basil

Slice Eggplant into 1/2" slices and lay in a single layer on paper towel or a clean tea towel.

Sprinkle generously with Kosher salt (or any salt that you have), and allow the slices to "sweat" for about 30 minutes. This will help get some of the bitter juices out. Afterwards, throughly rinse the salt of and pat the slices dry.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line up two shallow bowls/dishes. In one, mix eggs with salt and pepper. In the other mix breadcrumbs with salt and pepper.

Dip eggplant slices into egg, thoroughly coating.

Dip slices into breadcrumbs.

Be sure to get both sides thoroughly coated.

Place in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes on each side.

In a 9x13 inch baking dish, spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom.

Place a later of eggplant slices in the sauce.

Pour the rest of the pasta sauce over the slices.

Sprinkle with mozzarella.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and then dried basil over top.

Bake in oven at 350° F for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve on top of spaghetti noodles...and dig in. You'll hardly believe that it is eggplant!

Makes 4-6 servings

Printable Version
Nutritional Information