Amazing Easy Parmigiana

One of my favorite comfort foods is eggplant parmigiana. The combination of warm gooey cheese and tomato sauce is like a warm hug, and when it's done right...the eggplant is like delicious slices of happiness.

Well, below is my recipe for eggplant parmigiana. I promise you it's so good that you will want to cook it pronto! It's so good that it was the romantic meal for Valentine's Day...

Amazing Easy Eggplant Parmigiana

First, you must prep your eggplant. Cut off the ends of the eggplant and slice into one inch slices (you can make them them thicker or thinner depending on your tastes). Place slices in a big bowl or dish in a single layer and sprinkle with salt let sit for about 20 minutes. This will take out some of the bitterness and sweat out some of the moisture. You can skip this step, but I wouldn't reccommend it.

Next, prepare to bread some eggplant. You'll need a bowl of flour, a small bowl with two eggs beaten, and a small bowl with breadcrumbs ( you can use panko, seasoned, gluten free, whatever you like).

Dip each slice in flour, making sure you cover it thoroughly. You can use whole wheat, a wheat flour substitute (if you are gluten sensitive) or just plain white.

After taking the slice out of the flour, dip in the egg. Make sure you have egg on both sides. If the beaten eggs seem thick you may need to thin out the egg with a little water.

Next, dip each slice in breadcrumbs of your choice. Make sure the slice is completely covered in crumbs.

Put a large skillet on medium heat with a few glugs of olive oil. Place each slice down, making sure you don't crowd them. Cook until lightly browned and carefully flip to the other side. You may have to do several batches.

Now it's time to build it up! You have some of that lovely red sauce made...right? No? Well, mix up a batch right quick...the eggplant will keep. Next, You need to preheat the oven to 400*F.
Take a big ole baking pan and put down a thin layer of sauce. Place a layer of eggplant evenly spaced down on your sauce.

Put down a thick layer of cheese. You can do a mix of whatever melty yummy cheese you choose. I used a combination of Mozarella, Fontina and Parmesan. You could always substitute in some low fat or fat free cheeses if you are watching your waistline. Fresh mozzarella is always the perfect thing for this.

Next, sprinkle a few fresh basil leaves on top of your cheese.

Alternate layers of eggplant, cheese, and fresh basil until you run out of eggplant or overflow your pan. After your last layer of eggplant, add another layer of cheese. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and pop into the oven until everything is brown and bubbly, about 45 minutes (Make sure you take the foil off halfway through to allow for browning).

This will serve four hungry folks... or two with lots of leftovers.
I find this is fantastic with crusty bread, pasta, and salad.

Enjoy!

PS - if you aren't too keen on eggplant try out sliced zucchini, veggie patties, or even chicken, if you like that sort of thing....