1 April, 2020
Twice Baked Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients:
- 2 eggplants
- 3 eggs beaten
- 3 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- jar of your favorite tomato sauce (note: You will use a whole jar of sauce in assembling this Eggplant Parmesan, so if you intend to serve it up with some pasta and sauce on the side you’ll need 2 jars of sauce.)
- 16 oz package of mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions:
Peel and slice eggplant. You can slice it round but i like to slice it longways because it fits better on the sheet pan for baking, and then it layers nicely too.
Optional step: If you have extra time and would like to remove some of the bitterness of the eggplant, sprinkle each slice with a pinch of salt. Then place the slices in a colander in the sink to drain for about 30 minutes. Rinse the salt off with water, then proceed with the recipe. **I only do this when if the eggplants have been sitting in my fridge for a while or if they aren’t “in season”. If your eggplants are fresh and not too big they shouldn’t be bitter.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
Place breadcrumbs in a bowl, realize that your eggplant slices are too big for said bowl and then the dump breadcrumbs into a pie plate (note- a bowl will work just fine if you cut your eggplant into rounds). In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth. Dip an eggplant slice on both sides in the whisked egg mixture, then immediately dip it in the breadcrumbs until the eggplant is completely coated, then set on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant slices until they are all evenly spaced on the baking sheets.
Bake for 20 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the breadcrumbs are toasted and slightly golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Spread about 1/2 cup tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of an 11 x 8-inch baking dish. Place about 1/3 of the eggplant in a (mostly) even layer along the bottom of the baking dish. Spread an additional 1 cup of tomato sauce evenly over the eggplant. Then sprinkle about 1 cup Mozzarella cheese evenly over the sauce, followed by 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese. Repeat for remaining layers: eggplant, then tomato sauce, then Mozzarella, then Parmesan cheese. Depending on the size of your eggplants this may vary a little you could have 4 layers or you could only have 2, you get the idea.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and starts to turn slightly golden around the edges, and the sauce is bubbly. We like to serve it with pasta and extra sauce. If your lucky enough to have any leftovers it makes great eggplant parm sandwiches, or an amazing pizza topping!
