Eggplant Parmesan!

On Friday night, my parents came over for dinner, and I finally cooked with eggplant for the first time! A few years ago I had a dish that had sort of slimy eggplant in it, and that experience has kept me away from eating or cooking with the vegetable ever since. However, almost anything will taste good if it is breaded and fried! It tasted great! I was amazed at how easy this recipe was. Eggplant fries quickly, unlike meat, so that saves a lot of time. I just about halved the recipe and it made for about 5 servings. I also used jarred sauce instead of making my own (it's what we had in the house...). This recipe is adapted from the food network website.

-2 med. eggplants (2 1/4 lbs) cut into 1/2 inch round slices
-5 cups breadcrumbs (they say make your own which I'm sure if great, I used store bought to save time)
-salt and pepper
-1 TBS oregano and 1 TBS thyme
-vegetable oil for frying
-all purpose flour for dredging
-6 large eggs, beaten
-2 TBS milk
-olive oil as needed
-7 cups marinara sauce (make your own or store bought)
-2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
-8 oz. grated mozzarella
-1 lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

slice eggplants, beat eggs and milk together in a bowl. Season each eggplant slice on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge each eggplant slice in the flour, tapping off excess, then dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the bread crumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the egg plant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.

Heat 1/2-inch of oil in 2 large straight-sided saute pans over medium heat until the oil reaches a temperature of 385 degrees F. Working in small batches, fry a few of the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.

Cover the bottom of the prepared baking dish with some of the tomato sauce and arrange 1/2 of the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with some of the sauce, grated mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat to make 3 layers ending with the sauce. Top with the fresh mozzarella and remaining Parmesan and bake until hot and just beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.


I served the eggplant Parmesan over pasta, with red wine and bread. yummmm!
Does anyone else have any good eggplant recipes in case I get anymore eggplants in my share??