My 1st eggplant recipe is a little cliche, but I've never tried it before, so here we go with Eggplant Parmesan! This recipe bakes (not fries) the eggplant so it's healthier. And it had over 1000+ reviews and 4.5 stars, so how could it be bad? I did decide to reduce the recipe as a side and only used 1 eggplant in an 8x8 dish.
Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/eggplant-parmesan-ii/
Surprise #1: The inside isn't purple! I guess if you know veggies, you would have known that, but it was a surprise to me!
Surprise #2: Holy seeds batman! I thought my eggplant went bad until I googled it and found that it is totally normal...
Based on reviews, I decided to "sweat" the eggplant by sprinkling sea salt on the slices. This removes the bitterness. The seeds hold a liquid that can make the eggplant taste bitter, and by doing this and letting is sit for 30 minutes, you can literally see the liquid that it draws out of the slices!
After the salt, rinse & dry thoroughly!
Dipped in egg & bread crumbs and placed on a cookie sheet. Baked for 10 minutes on each side (another tip from the reviews) - and use parchment paper so they don't stick to your pan :)
Now for the yummy parts! Layered with sauce and cheese...
Looks good so far!
After baking for 35 minutes, hot, bubbly and golden brown!
All of the surprises made me a little nervous, and I tried to remind myself that it's NOT lasagna so I wouldn't have that expectation...
And the eggplant is a success! The sauce and cheeses were definitely a help for my first attempt at eggplant.
It was way better than I was expecting, but I still didn't love it quite enough to make as a main course yet... I'll have to let it grow on me just a little more for that...
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