For the dinner of my Stick’a-Butter Saturday, I wanted eggplant parmesan. The recipe I viewed at Epicurious.com was too involved for a dish so simple, so I called Mom for her recipe. If you want to immpress someone, make eggplant parmesan with your own tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella. But if you are hungry for eggplant parmesan and feel you can skip the razzle-dazzle, this recipe’s gold.
The only thing holding me back was that I didn’t have a baking dish. I was happy to not have to trek out to Target in the cold, instead finding one at my local ferreteria, which turns out isn’t a polecat repository after all, but a hardware store. It’s unclear why this hardware store had Pyrex baking dishes, but it was exactly what I sought, only required me to walk a block, cost $11 and will provide years of culinary happiness until I drop it.
Easy Eggplant Parmesan
- an eggplant
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs, beaten lightly
- 15 ounces spaghetti sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon dry basil)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- oil for frying
- salt and pepper
- Wash the eggplant and slice it into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Season with salt and pepper, then dip each slice into breadcrumbs, egg, then breadcrumbs again. Put the slices in the fridge for 30 minutes. Fry the slices in oil then drain them on paper towels. Line a buttered 13x9-inch baking dish with a thin layer of sauce, then repeat layering the following ingredients until they’re gone: eggplant, mozzarella, sauce, basil, parmesan. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes.
