Sometimes it’s nice to have a really crowd-pleasing vegetarian recipe at the ready, even when you aren’t a vegetarian. Eggplant Parmesan is a recipe that fits the bill. And it's served with pasta, so a win in my book. This version is baked, not fried and uses my Fresh Marinara Sauce, so it’s lighter and a tiny bit more healthy.

RECIPE

Yield: 5-6 entrée servings | Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes

2 medium eggplants
1 t salt
½ c flour
1 ½ c bread crumbs
1 egg
½ milk (I use 1%)
1-2 T olive oil
2 c shredded mozzarella
¼ c grated parmesan
4 c Fresh Marinara Sauce or store-bought

1) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Slice the eggplants into ¼” slices and arrange them on a baking sheet that has been lined with paper towels. Sprinkle about half salt on the slices and then turn them over and sprinkle the rest of the salt. Leave the slices for about 10 minutes. “Why?” you ask? The salt releases a little bit of water from the eggplant and helps to keep the breading a little bit crisper and actually attached to the eggplant.

2) Blot the slices if there is any excess moisture remaining and then transfer them to a ziptop bag. Add flour to the bag and shake until all the pieces are coated. This is another step that helps the breading adhere to the eggplant.

3) Combine the egg and milk in a shallow dish. Pour about half of the breadcrumbs onto plate. Coat the baking sheet you used previously with some olive oil. Set the egg, flour and baking sheet up assembly-line style and get yourself ready to do some breading.

4) Dip the floured eggplant slices one-at-time into the egg and then the breadcrumbs and finally onto the baking sheet. Repeat until you have coated all the slices (top up the bread crumbs as necessary when the plate gets filled with goopy bready bits). Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil onto each slice and then put the tray into the oven.

5) After the bottom of the slices have turned a golden brown (5-7 minutes), flip them and bake for another few minutes until the other side is golden. Remove the sheet from the oven.

6) Prepare a large casserole dish with a ½-1 c layer of the store-bought or fresh prepared sauce of your choice. Fan the slices of eggplant over the sauce and cover with more sauce. Sprinkle the mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the mozzarella is melted and a bit browned.

7) Serve over your favorite pasta with the remaining sauce and some Parmesan cheese.