Hi everybody! We are currently enjoying our last morning in Aruba. We fly home today and I am so sad :( But it's been an amazing trip of a lifetime and I'm so glad to have had the experience! Get ready to see lots of Aruba related posts coming soon!
Today's post is alllll about my favorite way to make eggplant parmesan. Eggplant parm is one of my favorite meals but it can be really heavy. I thought I would take my nonna's recipe and make it a little lighter but just as flavorful. Now, the way Italians make eggplant parmesan is already a little lighter to begin with because Italians don't use mozzarella in their eggplant parmesan...otherwise it would be eggplant mozzarella. I honestly despise mozzarella cheese so I don't miss it in my nonna's recipe. Classically, eggplant parm is dipped in egg, dredged in breadcrumbs and fried to crispy perfection BUT this recipe doesn't have any of that which keeps it super light but still keeps all the flavor in tact. I love using my eggplant without any breading because I think the eggplant flavor really comes out. I think eggplant is so underutilized but it's so delicious!
My recipe is a lot less labor intensive because you don't have to stand over a pan of grease waiting for the eggplant to fry. You just pop the eggplant slices on baking sheets and roast them for 20 minutes! Voila, cooked eggplant! Then I just layer sauce, eggplant, a light sprinkle of parmesan cheese (a cheese that doesn't cause my lactose intolerance to flare up too much!). That's all there is to it! You won't have to feel guilty about this eggplant parm. Let's get started!
Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients:
2 Eggplants, sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce (I make my own...recipe coming soon)
salt
pepper
Recipe:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wash and slice eggplant. Place on baking sheets. You'll probably need 2 depending on the size of your eggplants.
Drizzle olive oil on all the eggplant and season both sides with salt and pepper.
Bake for 20 minutes, flipping the eggplant halfway through cooking.
Remove eggplant from the oven and let cool.
Cover bottom of 8 or 9 inch pie plate with thin layer of sauce.
Add a layer of eggplant.
Next layer sauce on top of the eggplant.
Sprinkle 1 tsp. parmesan cheese over the sauce.
Repeat steps 7-9 until you run out of eggplant.
Top with parmesan cheese and serve.
How easy is that? It only takes me about 30 minutes to make when I have my sauce already made. It's light, it's flavorful, and it won't make you feel weighed down like the eggplant parm you might find at your favorite restaurant. Hope you enjoy!
XO,
Gabby