I love Olive Garden's Eggplant Parmesan! After much thought, "how hard could it be to make eggplant parmesan?!" So I found a recipe online. I managed to find this recipe that does not involve frying the eggplant. I figured pre-baking the eggplant is probably healthier than frying the eggplant. I found this recipe from www.allrecipes.com. It turned out well overall. It especially made the house smell of yummy Italian food. One piece of advice I would recommend for this recipe is to be sure to pick a ripe eggplant. The raw eggplant should have a nice looking skin and be somewhat soft, but not too soft. I think my eggplant was not ripe enough and it added a bit of a woody taste. But it was not terrible. I also read on many other website that it is recommended to slice the eggplant, sprinkle it with sea salt, let set for 1 hour, rinse and dry thoroughly. I believe this is to decrease the "woody" taste of the eggplant. I think I will try this method next time. Enjoy this easy Eggplant Parmesan Recipe! It is yummy. Pair it with some spaghetti and garlic bread. No veggie needed since you already have eggplant, but a green veggie may be nice for looks and to add extra veggies. ENJOY!
Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
2 eggs, beaten
4 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
6 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven for 5 minutes on each side.
In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Spring basil on top.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.
Eggplant Parmesan