Fall is definitely the season for comfort food - chili, mac and cheese, lasagna. Nothing warms the soul on a chilly fall day like some good comfort food. For me, eggplant parmesan is one of my go to meal. It's a one-pot family dish that everyone can partake in. I am sharing with you my very own recipe. This is one of my family and client favorite entree. H
Hope you enjoy!
This is a plan ahead recipe since it requires a lot of prep work. It is also a great recipe for families to make together. The sauce may be made a day in advance, this way the flavors are well marinated. This recipe is worth all the love and hard work.
Homemade Pasta Sauce
1 28oz can tomato sauce
1 can of Hunts Fire Roasted tomatoes
1 tbsp herbs de Provence
1 8oz pkg sliced baby bella mushroom, optional
1 medium onions, roughly chopped
8 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/8 tsp crushed pepper flakes or
½ cup dry white wine
1 tbsp non-pariel capers
¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1tbsp honey
¼ cup freshly chopped basil
¼ cup freshly chopped parsley
Salt to taste
1 ½ tbsp olive oil
Eggplant
1 medium- large eggplant, peeled and cut in ¼ inch circles
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup water
½ cup domestic grated parmesan cheese
2 cups Italian bread crumbs
¾ cups flour
About ¾ cup canola oil
Parmesan
1 ½ lbs whole milk fresh mozzarella cheese, grated
1 lb ricotta cheese
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
Make sauce
In a stew or stock pot, heat the 1 ½ tbsp of olive oil, when hot sauté mushrooms for about 5 minutes until all water is evaporated, add onions, garlic and pepper flakes and sauté with mushrooms for another 5-7 minutes until onions begin to sweat and pot is fragrant. Carefully add tomato sauce and fire roasted tomatoes to pot, add white wine, capers, honey, sun-dried tomatoes, herbs de Provence, season with salt to taste and let simmer for one hour, stirring constantly to avoid sticking. Add basil and 1/3 cup of parsley, remove from heat. Let stand for 30 minutes to 24hrs, if possible.
Fry eggplant
Combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese, set aside. Combine eggs and water, beat until incorporated set aside. Place flour and breadcrumbs in two separate shallow pans, place egg mixture in a medium size prep bowl. Make an assembly line in the following order: eggplant, flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs.
Dredge each eggplant slice in the flour, tapping off excess flour, then dip it in the egg wash, and finally dredge it in the bread crumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the egg plant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
Preheat oven to 350degrees. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 13 by 9 inch baking dish and set aside.
Coat the bottom of a large skillet with about ¼ cup of canola oil. Over medium high fire heat oil until hot. Working in small batches, fry a few of the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant. Adding more oil as needed. If oil gets dark and there is settlement, drain oil, wash skillet and start process over.
Making the parmesan
Cover the bottom of the prepared baking dish with some of the tomato sauce and arrange a layer of the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with pasta sauce, 1/3 of mozzarella cheese, 1/3 of parmesan cheese. Repeat to make 3 layers ending with the sauce. Top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese bake until hot and just beginning to brown, about 45-60 minutes. Garnish with remaining parsley. Let rest 20 minutes before serving.
