Eggplant Parmesan

Today was one of those long, busy and hot days. I had to turn on the fan in the kitchen during the weeks I spent breading this eggplant. Okay, maybe weeks is taking it a little bit too far, but man if it didn’t feel like it. I had a mild epiphany of not a big fan of breading and was mentally cursing myself for buying a particularly fat eggplant. The only consolation during the slave labor was treating my nose to the amazing smell of Italian breadcrumbs. I’m not a big fan of eggplant either but it tastes pretty darn good in this form. I did find myself sneaking bites after the pan-frying stage. It was too crispy to resist, and anything crispy is good.

Ignore the unappetizing looking blob. Underneath the crappy pictures there’s a lot of cheesy goodness for cheese lovers. Three cheeses; ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella. The best part about this dish for me is after the broiling stage when the cheese is slightly browned and bubbly. Yum. One side turned out a little browner than the other but it worked out well, I like mine particularly brown and Mr. Cooking Jar likes his mildly touched. So half for him and half for me. It’s a happy accident I like to pretend was intentional.

I used my own Marinara Sauce as usual but you can substitute it with your own favorite marinara if you like. Depending on the size of the eggplant (don’t get the mother of all eggplants like I did), you will need to add more egg and breadcrumbs to complete the breading stage.

Eggplant Parmesan

---

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

• Author: The Cooking Jar
• Yield: 8 1x

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 medium eggplant, sliced
• 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
• 2 cups Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 egg, beaten for cheese mixture
• 1 egg beaten, for breading
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped / 2 tablespoons dried basil
• 4 cups
• marinara sauce

---

Instructions

1. Bread the eggplant slices by first dipping into egg and then coating on both sides with Italian breadcrumbs. Shake off any excess
2. Over medium high heat, pan-fry breaded eggplant slices until golden brown on each side. Use two pans if you have a large quantity
3. Drain on paper towels and set aside
4. Mix ricotta, 2 cups of mozzarella and 1 cup of Parmesan cheese
5. Add in egg and basil to the cheese mixture and mix thoroughly
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
7. In a 9×13″ casserole dish, spread a thin layer of 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
8. Arrange a single layer of eggplant slices on sauce layer
9. Top the layers with half the cheese mixture, spreading the cheese layer evenly
10. Repeat layering process until all eggplant and cheese mixture is used
11. Pour remaining sauce over all layers and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese
12. Bake for 30 minutes until the sauce is bubbly
13. Broil at 450 degrees F for 3 minutes or until cheese has browned
14. Transfer to cooling rack and allow to set for 10 minutes before serving