Less Fussy/Less Fatty Eggplant Parm

Heh - after I wrote this I realized I made pretty much the same thing back in 2012...

Today's CSA pickup included one ginormous eggplant that I had to cut in half to give to our share-sharers...so I figured I'd better use it up quick. Eggplant parmesan sounded good, but I have no patience for the fussy multi-step casserole versions where you have to salt it, fry it, layer it, bake it, etc. Came up with my own version that was fairly easy and hopefully not as fatty as traditional versions. Exact quantities? Meh! Ain't got time for that! This made two large servings with some extra sauce.

Tomato Sauce:

- In a pot, saute 2-3 cloves chopped garlic in olive oil briefly. Add one large can of whole tomatoes, mash up with a potato masher, and simmer while you prepare the eggplant. Add salt, pepper, hot pepper flakes to taste, maybe some sugar. Fresh basil at the end if you have it.

Eggplant:

- Preheat oven to 400. Coat a baking sheet with olive oil & stick it in the oven to heat up. I line mine with foil first.

- Slice eggplant about 1/2 inch thick. Beat 1 egg with a little water in a bowl. In another bowl, mix together some panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and whatever seasonings you want. Dip the eggplant in the egg and then coat with crumbs. Lay on the baking sheet, drizzle with a little more oil & bake for about 25 mins. Broil if you want to really crisp up the top.

Now cook some pasta, toss with about 2/3 of the sauce and some shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese. I put the pasta in a small casserole dish, topped with eggplant, more sauce & more cheese and stuck it in the oven for a couple minutes. Or you could put it on a plate & nuke it briefly to melt the cheese.