When I need a meatless meal, Eggplant Parmesan is one of my traditional go-tos. It’s familiar, relatively easy to prepare and you can cook it in advance and freeze it for about a month. Best of all, it tastes really good.
I especially love this dish in the summer when my garden is in bloom with thick, fresh purple eggplants!
The recipe below lists one cup of marinara sauce. I make my own and freeze that too. But in a pinch, store-bought works too when you want to make things easier on yourself.
Another thing that’s easy -- and less caloric too -- I roast the eggplant slices instead of breading and frying them.
Eggplant Parmesan
1 medium to large eggplant
salt
5 tablespoons olive oil, approximately
1 cup marinara sauce
15 ounces ricotta cheese
1/4 cup plus 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (or 3/4 teaspoon dried)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the eggplant about 1/8-inch thick, sprinkle with salt and let rest for 20-30 minutes. Wipe the eggplant slices dry and place them on a baking sheet. Brush each side of each slice of eggplant with a film of olive oil. Roast the slices for about 15 minutes, turning them once, until they are softened and lightly browned. Remove the slices from the oven. Place 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce in a baking dish. Place 1/3 of the eggplant slices in top (overlap the slices slightly). Mix the ricotta cheese with 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the egg and oregano. Place half of this cheese mixture on top of the eggplant slices. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese. Add another layer of eggplant slices. Cover with the remaining ricotta cheese mixture. Spread with the remaining (1/2 cup) marinara sauce. Cover with the remaining eggplant slices. Sprinkle with the remaining (3/4 cup) mozzarella cheese and the remaining (1/4 cup) Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is beginning to turn lightly brown.
Makes 4 servings