Ultimate Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

“You know I really don’t like eggplant, right?” my husband said to me as I sliced the beautiful purple vegetable into rounds. I just smiled and continued slicing, because I had a feeling that this time would be different.

There are numerous articles written by numerous experts with regards to getting children to eat their vegetables, but I have a very simple answer: make vegetables delicious and appealing.

Some vegetables are tastiest eaten fresh and raw, like cherry tomatoes or red peppers, some benefit from roasting, like cauliflower or asparagus, and yet others, like eggplant, need a little more effort to make them palatable. Look at the eggplant in its raw glory: it’s a thing of beauty, really, so glossy and purple, with a shape like a friendly cartoon character. And like many things of beauty, it needs a little help to develop its personality, so to speak. It cannot get by on good looks alone. Like Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree, it just needs a little love.

This is a recipe that utilizes a few strategies to make eggplant appealing to kids — and reticent husbands.

Strategy one: Sweat it and forget it. Make sure you salt the eggplant before cooking and allow it to “sweat” all the bitterness out.

Strategy two: Don’t undercook the eggplant. Undercooked eggplant is strangely spongy in texture.

Strategy three: Smother it in cheese.

Perhaps you’ve admired the beauty of the eggplant in the produce section but weren’t sure how to prepare it. Perhaps you — like my husband — think you don’t like eggplant at all. Or perhaps you do love eggplant and are merely in need of recipe inspiration. In any case, this eggplant dish is lasagna-like in flavour and feel: delicious and full of cheesy goodness.

My husband ended up eating two helpings.  

For those meat lovers who really, truly don’t like eggplant, I’ve included a chicken variation at the end of this recipe. It's the Con Carne to my Meatless Mummy identity. 

Ingredients:

  In a large saucepan, sauté garlic in olive oil until garlic is brown and fragrant. Add crushed tomatoes and diced stewed tomatoes. Sprinkle with baking soda and stir; mixture will foam up. When the foaming subsides, stir in Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Allow to simmer until needed. (Make ahead: sauce can be made the day before and refrigerated until needed.)

  On a flat surface, sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and allow to “sweat” for 30 minutes.

  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a shallow dish, stir together bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and garlic powder.

  Wipe away the “sweat” from the eggplant. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a fork. Dip eggplant slices in the fork-beaten eggs, then into the bread crumb/Parmesan mixture. Press the mixture firmly onto the eggplant so that it sticks. Arrange eggplant slices on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping eggplant slices halfway through.

  Spoon a cup of the tomato marinara sauce evenly on the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan and arrange half the eggplant slices over top. Cover with another cup of sauce, and arrange half the basil leaves on top. Sprinkle with half the Italiano shredded cheese. Repeat layers with the remaining eggplant, sauce, basil, and cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.

Serve with Herb and Garlic Cheese Bread and Caesar salad for the ultimate dinner experience!

  Chicken Variation: Instead of eggplant slices, dip slices of chicken breast in egg, then dredge in the bread crumb/Parmesan mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the insides are no longer pink and the juices run clear. Layer in the baking dish as you would for the eggplant, alternating with sauce, basil, and cheese, and bake for 20 minutes.

Yield: 6-8 servings