My Never Fail Dish: Eggplant Parmesan

The one recipe I make that never fails is my eggplant parmesan. You can get eggplant at the Farmer’s Markets in the Southeast right now so this is a great time of year to make it. For me, the key to this recipe is baking the eggplant, not frying. For kids, I think the key is all of the cheese! In any case, 1 eggplant with some pasta or a green salad makes a complete meal for us. The cheese gives us a fair amount of protein and if I want to up the vitamin content of the dish I will shred some carrots into the tomato sauce.

Eggplant Parmesan

1 large eggplant
2 cups Breadcrumbs
3 egg whites
Tomato sauce
8 oz. Mozzarella, grated
1 cup Parmesan, grated

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Slice the eggplant thinly, about ¼ inch.
3. Separate whites of three eggs into a shallow bowl.
4. Put breadcrumbs on a plate or in a shallow bowl.
5. Coat both sides of each piece of eggplant with egg whites and then bread crumbs.
6. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with olive oil spray.
7. Bake until browned, starting to crisp, about 45 minutes, turning halfway through.
8. Lower oven temperature to 350°.
9. In a 2 ½ quart casserole or baking dish, spread tomato sauce in a thin layer over bottom of dish. Place eggplant in a single layer over the sauce. Put a thin layer of sauce over the eggplant. Sprinkle grated mozzarella and parmesan. Add eggplant in a single layer and repeat with sauce and cheese. Finish with layer of cheese on top.
10. Bake at 350° for about 35-40 minutes until cheese is melted and starting to brown.