Eggplant Parmesean: Oven Fried ~ Oven Baked
July 21, 2009
One of the many ways my husband won my heart was through his Eggplant Parmesan…who could blame me with the dreamy combination of homemade sauce, crispy breaded and fried eggplant slices, and melted mozzarella cheese? I could tell each time he made this dish that it was a labor of love (and maybe showing off a bit??) with all of the preparation it took just to assemble! We would make double batches just for leftovers and freezer stock just so all that hard work wouldn’t be just for one night’s dinner!
Well, over the years we’ve created our own shortcuts and ended up making a bit healthier version of the beloved classic! Instead of frying batch after batch of greasy eggplant slices, we just set them in the oven to “Oven Fry” and forget about them for a bit. (Healthier than frying, PLUS the house doesn’t smell like a grease pit.) Another update is when assembling, we layer thick slices of beefsteak tomatoes along with the eggplant, small amounts of sauce and fresh mozzarella…you GOTTA try it!
Oven Fried ~ Oven Baked Eggplant Parmesan
- Peel and slice eggplant into 1/4″ rounds (2 lbs. will make a 9 x 13″ pan of Parmesan)
- Dust in flour, dip in egg/milk bath, and coat in seasoned breadcrumbs.
- Lay breaded slices on baking sheets (we use our Silpat mats, but a non-stick spray will work also) and spray tops will an olive oil spray.
- Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden, flipping once halfway through.
- In a 9 x 13″ pan, begin assembling by coating the bottom with a small amount of sauce, a layer of eggplant slices, a small amount a sauce, slices of tomato, slices of mozzarella, then another small amount of sauce. Continue this pattern two more times, finishing with a sprinkle of Parmesan to top it off!
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly. Let this dish stand for a while…it always tastes better after resting for a bit…and ALWAYS tastes better the next day!
PS: These leftovers make AWESOME sandwiches the next day!
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:42 am
this is a fantastic idea!! i’ll try it tomorrow, yummm!
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:39 am
frankly, if a man ever made such a stellar dish for me, i think i can state with certainty that i’d be smitten for life, with him and with the food—it’s gorgeous and sounds perfectly tasty.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:41 am
Sandwiches? You genius! I am going to do this–frying things is a drag, even though it is delish.
July 22nd, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Yay Riana! Can’t wait to see your version with all of those gorgeous homegrown veggies!!
Grace - Yes, he hooked me with this recipe, haha! I think I got him with some sort of chicken cordon bleu…he looked at me wide-eyed like “wow. a girlfriend who can cook more than cereal!” (I think a first for him…)
Polly, I know! After I wrote this entry, I went on to deep fry some flautas. I feel a bit of a frying-fraud, but we all have to live a little, right? ;D
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:48 am
I love the idea of adding tomatoes. (I am waiting very impatiently for my tomatoe plants to hurry up, dammit.) Trader Joe’s sells the “pre made” breaded eggplant cutlets, so that is a good short cut. Nothing like the real thing though…(And theirs are a bit too salty IMO!)