Recipe Eggplant Parmesan

ally79

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Joined
24 Oct 2013
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5:21 AM
Messages
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I have been trying to make eggplant Parmesan for years and I finally found a recipe that works and tastes really good. I like to serve this with a big garden salad and you have a nice "meatless Monday" option.

Ingredients
    • 1 large eggplant (2 pounds), sliced 1/2 inch thick crosswise
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • Coarse salt and ground pepper
    • 1 cup fat-free (skim) milk
    • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 cup homemade or best-quality store-bought marinara sauce
    • 1/2 cup grated part-skim mozzarella
    • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Arrange eggplant on two rimmed baking sheets. Brush eggplant on both sides with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown and very tender, 20 to 25 minutes, turning slices and rotating sheets halfway through.
  2. Meanwhile, make sauce: Off heat, in a medium saucepan, whisk together 1/4 cup milk, flour, and garlic. Gradually whisk in remaining 3/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup marinara sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook until pink sauce has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Spread 1/4 cup marinara sauce in the bottom of a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Alternate layers of baked eggplant with pink sauce. Dollop with remaining 1/4 cup marinara sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake on upper rack until browned and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes.
 
Mmmmmm! For years I didn't like eggplant but suddenly I find it to be the greatest show on earth! I have been looking for a decent recipe for parmigiano and I think that yours is it! Thanks!
 
Why do you dilute the tomato sauce with milk? I'd layer it up with tomato sauce minus milk and include mozzarella and parmezan in every layer!
 
In response to Delftse's question, I think Ally79's approach is more like a lasagna. Some recipes call for alternating layers of a white cream sauce and a red marinara sauce. It just adds a little bit of interest to the dish instead of just mixing them all together.

Interesting, I wasn't expecting there to be a bechamel-like sauce in this recipe. When I initially saw flour as one of the ingredients I thought it was going to be for frying the eggplant first. But this approach sounds like a healthier take on this recipe. One of the challenges I've always had with Eggplant Parm is that it would become too soggy if not eaten right away (this is referring to the fried variety). But I like the technique being used here too.

I would typically slice and bread my eggplant by dipping it in some raw flour, then an egg/milk wash, then into a mixture of both regular seasoned breadcrumbs and seasoned panko breadcrumbs. Mixing the regular and panko breadcrumbs helped the crumb coating stick more to the eggplant, since the panko alone tend to fall off easily and not entirely coat the eggplant. Then I would fry them in small batches and keep them warm on a baking sheet in the oven, lined with paper towels. Then just before serving, broil some mozarella or provolone over the eggplant, then top with the sauce and some more sprinkling of parmesan. The first layer of melted cheese would act as a barrier to keep the sauce from making the eggplant soggy.
 
I'm not sure what marinara sauce is but I can easily make a sauce of my own to go with eggplant and parmesan. I do like the combination of those two and will have a go at adapting the recipe. I haven't tried baking eggplant, I would rather do that then deep fry the slices.
 
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