Garden Fresh Eggplant Parmesan |
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Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes |
Ready In: 60 Minutes Servings: 6 |
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This year I finally mastered the art of growing eggplants. The trick I found was to keep them in pots on my porch where the bugs won't eat them as bad. Now that I have them growing good, eggplant Parmesan seemed like the next reasonable step. Ingredients:
3 small eggplants |
1 cup flour |
1 egg |
1 cup water |
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese |
1 cup panko breadcrumbs or 1 cup regular cracker crumb |
1/2 teaspoon salt |
1/2 teaspoon pepper |
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder |
7 ounces spaghetti or 7 ounces angel hair pasta |
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil |
28 ounces spaghetti sauce |
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese |
Directions:
1. I slice my eggplants the night before (into 1/4 inch thick circles) and soak them in salt water. I hear it makes them softer and more tender but I suppose you could go straight to the frying pan with them too.
2. Mix salt, pepper, garlic powder, and grated cheese into the flour. Beat egg into water to make an egg wash. Set up a standard 3 stage dipping station for frying the eggplant, Hand dip in the seasoned flour, then into the egg wash and finally coat well in the breadcrumbs.
3. Start the pasta boiling in a separate pot while you start heating oil in a skillet to pan fry the eggplant. Add a dash of olive oil or butter to the spaghetti water to keep it from boiling over. The pasta can be just lightly cooked to al-dente stage, as it will finish off in the oven.
4. Pan fry the eggplant about 5 minutes on each side until nice and golden and drain on a plate.
5. Drain the spaghetti, and toss in a bowl with some olive oil. Also start the oven to preheat at 350 at this time.
6. Get out a 3 x 9 x 12 inch casserole dish and spread a little marinara sauce to coat the bottom. Now add all the pasta in a layer and then layer on the rest of the sauce. Add the breaded eggplant slices in a layer on top of the sauce and finally top with fresh shredded Parmesan cheese.
7. Place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is nice and bubbly on top. Let it stand and cool for a couple minutes, serve and enjoy.
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