..: Eggplant Parmesan

Many of my favorite vegetarian dishes revolve around pasta! I knew when I started the menu for this week, the one dish that my dad would totally be ok with was eggplant parm! He LOVED having this at home, my sister (the veggie hater) on the other hand, was not happy at all. I guess 2 out of 3 isn't bad haha. I liked this recipe because it actually came out with a crispy crust and didn't get soggy. I think eggplant parm tends to go wrong when you feel like you are chewing on rubber...yuck! I will certify this as a rubbery free recipe!

Eggplant Parmesan
Yields 6 servings

To Prepare the Eggplant
1. Peel 1 large eggplant.
2. Cut the Eggplant into 1/2 inch thick rounds.
3. Place the rounds into a sieve and sprinkle some salt on them. This will make the eggplant wilt, which essentially means that we are removing excess moisture, and they are going into a sieve so they are not lying in the juices!

4. After the eggplant has wilted for approximately 30 minutes, take it out the sieve and pat the pieces dry with paper towels.
5. While the eggplant is drying, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
6. Beat 3 eggs in a bowl, and set aside.
7. Pour 1 cup of bread crumbs onto a plate. I used plain bread crumbs and seasoned them with some dry herbs, but you can definitely use the pre-seasoned!
8. Pour 1/4 inch of olive oil into a frying pan and start heating it on low heat.
9. While the olive oil is heating, dredge approximately 4 slices through the bread crumbs, and THEN coat them in egg.

All set up for dredging! From left to right: Eggplant, bread crumbs, egg, frying pan, casserole dish!

10. Fry the coated eggplant in the oil, and be sure to flip them once they brown on the first side! When they are brown on both sides, remove them from the oil and place them in a casserole dish. Repeat this process until all of the eggplant is fried and in the casserole dish.

11. Evenly coat the entire casserole of eggplant with pasta sauce (it only should take 1 jar of sauce!). If you want your eggplant to stay SUPER crispy, place it on a baking sheet, spoon a little sauce over the top of each piece, sprinkle with some cheese, and then bake it!