Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Eggplant Parmigiana

I've fed this dish to many, many people who run screaming when they hear the word "eggplant."  They ALWAYS like this dish, although they still don't like other eggplant dishes!  The mild eggplant flavor in this might be a factor (I don't soak it in salted water--EVER!).  It might also have something to do with the fact that I don't fry the eggplant first, so it's not oily.  I just don't know!  

I DO know it's good, though, and even if you're an avowed eggplant hater--especially if you're an avowed eggplant hater!--I hope you try this and let me know what you think!


2 medium eggplants
2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes (or 1 29 oz. can, obviously!  Ha!)
1/8 tsp. garlic powder (or 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tsp. jarred garlic, or 1 frozen cube)
1 heaping tsp. dried basil (or 1 Tbl. fresh, chopped)
1 tsp. paprika (not smoked)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. flour
1 tsp. sugar (Taste the sauce while it's cooking.  If it's sour or bitter, add another tsp. sugar!)
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Cut unpeeled eggplant into 1/2 inch slices.  Simmer, covered, in unsalted water for 10 minutes.  Drain.  (You can skip this step if you have 2 hours to let it bake!)

While the eggplant is cooking, combine the tomatoes, garlic, basil, paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar in a sauce pan.  Stir the flour into a bit of the tomato juice until it's smooth, and then add it to the mix.  Cook over medium high heat until it's slightly thickened.

In a 9x13 baking dish, layer all the eggplant, the mozzarella, and the tomato mix.  Top with the Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes, or until the top is slightly browned.  MMMMMMM!

This is a quick version, as Chelsea, our youngest daughter requested.  If you use fresh garlic and basil, the flavor's much better!  Either way, enjoy!

4 comments:

  1. I LOVE eggplant. Cooked in just about any way. I just bought some lovely big ones today and I am so happy to have found this recipe! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. If you skip the simmering step and bake the whole dish for 2 hours, is it still at 350 or at a lower temperature? (And should you cover it so the cheese doesn't burn?)

    ReplyDelete
  3. The couple of times I've done this, I left the temp at 350, and I did cover the cheese! Thanks for that reminder!

    You could probably lower the temp to 300 and not cover the cheese, but I haven't tried this myself, so this is just a guess! Obviously, you cook, so your guess is as good as mine, as the saying goes!

    Thanks for trying this. Let me know how you like it!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi!

    I posted the above comment about temp and covering cheese! I did it from J's email account on my computer! Ha! I didn't realize I was on her account, and I posted under her name. I'm not sure how to edit it out, so I'll just post this! I think I've got it under my name this time! Just to be sure, I'll "sign" it:

    Marlyle

    ReplyDelete

Leave a comment! (Come on. You know you want to. Everybody's doing it.)