One of our favorite weeknight meals, when my son was growing up, was pasta with chicken parmesan. Thanks to this Italian dish that is full of goodness, and so easy to make, we did not have to toil in front of the stove for hours. Chicken parm is breaded chicken thighs baked in tomato sauce and topped with a ‘sinful’ amount of parmesan cheese. A healthier version of this is eggplant parmesan which is just as good, but more nutritious and so rich in eggplant flavor. Eggplants are low in calories and a great source of dietary fiber, potassium, and B vitamins. Since eggplants tend to absorb a lot of oil, we baked them in the oven instead of frying them in the pan. At times, we would prepare it a day or so earlier, and finish cooking it the following day. We would serve this eggplant parm with angel hair pasta and whatever salad greens we had in the fridge.
Recipe for Eggplant Parmesan
So here’s our go-to recipe for eggplant parmesan for those busy weeknights when we had to juggle homework, chores, and home cooking and still had to come up with a nutritious meal. They are deliciously cheesy good! Promise!
Ingredients
2 eggplants, sliced into 1/2” thick rounds
1 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1 lb mozzarella cheese sliced into 1/4” slices
2 cups flour
3 large eggs, beaten
2 cups breadcrumbs
Italian style spaghetti sauce
Salt
Olive oil
Directions
- Peel the eggplants and slice them into 1/2” rounds. Arrange the slices in baking sheets and sprinkle with salt; let sit for 1 hour or more to draw the moisture out of the eggplant.
- 2. Wipe off salt and moisture from the eggplant slices with paper towels.
- 3. Prepare three bowls containing flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs in consequential order.
- 4. Dredge an eggplant slice in the flour, then dip in the egg and finally dredge in the breadcrumb; shake off any excess then transfer to a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Do the same for all the slices.
- 5. Preheat the oven to 375F and lightly brush the eggplant slices with olive oil.
- 6. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip the slices and bake for another 5 minutes until nicely browned. Set aside.
- 7. Prepare the spaghetti sauce by combining the dry ingredients with tomato sauce and simmering for 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
- 8. On a glass baking dish, spread a small amount of the spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom.
- 9. Arrange half of the baked eggplant slices over the sauce then cover the slices with more sauce.
- 10. Layer the mozzarella slices and parmesan cheese over the eggplant slices.
- 11. Layer the other half of the eggplant slices, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese.
- 12. Bake uncovered at 400 F for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
- 13. Serve with your favorite pasta and salad greens.
Buen provecho! Kain na po!