The picture doesn't do it much justice, but I attempted to make an eggplant parmigiana.

While I've done plenty of chicken dishes, I had never made an eggplant parmagiana.

Sure I've seen hundreds of eggplants, but truthfully, this is the first time I've ever cooked one.

Peeling it, you'll find it almost looks like a big, fat, peeled cucumber.

In case you want to try it, here's what you need:

  • 2 medium eggplants (peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds)
  • Vegetable oil
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 3 eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
  • 3 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce
  • 1 pound of fresh mozzarella cheese
  • 3/4 cup grated romano or parmesan cheese
  • Fresh basil leaves

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and stick the rack in the center of the oven.

Heat about a half inch of oil in a large skillet.  Dredge each eggplant slice in flour, shake off the excess, dip in the egg wash and then press in the breadcrumbs.  Shake off the extra and place in the hot oil.

Fry for about 90 seconds on each side and remove to a paper towel.  Do all the eggplant slices.

Spray a baking dish (that's at least 11" by 9") with cooking spray.  Put down a thin layer of your tomato sauce.  Do a layer of eggplant slices covered with a layer of mozzarella, grated cheese and some torn basil.  Repeat for layers.

Bake the dish uncovered for about 20 minutes.  The top should be bubbling and starting to brown.  Let cool for 10 minutes, scoop and serve!

Again, it didn't look very good from the picture, but I assure you... it was delicious!

Enjoy!

~CMF

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