Eggplant Parmesan

Tonight I was too tired to be very creative so I fell back on an old favorite: Eggplant Parmesan. I bought an eggplant a year or so ago, before I'd ever even tasted one. I didn't really know what I was going to do with it. I wasn't exactly sure what to do with them. Peel it? Don't Peel? They just looked pretty so on an impulse I bought one. At home I hit the internet and came up with a couple of tasty looking recipes for Eggplant Parmesan.

Given the fact that I'm the only one around here who will touch an eggplant, those recipes were a little too labor intensive for a dinner for one. Over the past months I've worked at making this a much quicker weeknight meal. I even found a healthier recipe that calls for baking the eggplant rather than frying *and* it tastes good as well!

Eggplant Parmesan in a Hurry

1-2 eggplants
Coarse ground Kosher salt
olive oil
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I prefer Italian Seasoned bread crumbs.)
1 jar pasta sauce (your favorite flavor)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Peel eggplant and slice into 1/4 inch rounds. Salt heavily and allow bitter juices to come out. Rise with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

In a heavy skillet heat olive oil. While oil is heating, dip eggplant slices into flour, then into egg and finally in seasoned bread crumbs. Add eggplant rounds to heated skillet in a single layer. Cook for approximately 2 minutes and turn over. When golden brown on both sides remove from skillet and allow to drain on a paper towel-covered plate while preparing the rest of the eggplant. You can also place the eggplant slices on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray and broil them 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.

Cover bottom of a greased baking dish with a ladle-full of pasta sauce. Next spread fried eggplant rounds in a single layer. Top with sauce and mozzarella cheese. Repeat as needed. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake in a 375 oven until cheese is bubbly and dish is warmed through. Serve with Parmesan at the table.

I often prepare more eggplant than I need for the meal and allow the fried rounds to cool, pop them into a freezer bag and store them in the freezer. On nights when I'm in a hurry, I can just prepare the dish using the frozen eggplant and dinner can be ready in just a few minutes. I can also use the frozen eggplant to prepare a single serving of Eggplant Parmesan just for myself.