Tag: European

Croque Madame

Croque Madame

Top with the fried egg and chopped chives.

Baked Eggplant Parmigiana

Baked Eggplant Parmigiana

Baked Eggplant Parmigiana

I’ve very recently fell in love with eggplant parmigiana. I ate it from my work’s deli hot bar. It was good, but I knew that I could make it better. Eggplant parmigiana’s origins are from the southern regions of Italy; Calabrian, Campania, Apulia, and Sicily all claiming it’s creation. The dish consists of breaded and fried slices of eggplant baked in a tomato sauce, topped with parmesan cheese. Instead of frying the eggplant, I baked it in the oven until crispy; reducing the amount of oil used to make it slightly healthier. To completely ruin the healthier aspect, I added a garlic cream sauce to the dish; plus slices of mozzarella.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: how to make, Italian, main course, vegetarian
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

Cream Sauce

  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • black pepper to taste
  • salt to taste

Eggplant Parmigiana

  • 1 large eggplant sliced into 1” pieces
  • salt
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 cups tomato sauce divided
  • fresh mozzarella sliced
  • 1 tbsp dried basil
  • 1 tbsp dried parsley
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Slice the eggplant and salt liberally to extract the moisture. Let sit for 10 minutes.
    How to make, main course, vegetarian
  • Make an assembly line of flour in a bowl, beaten egg in one, and breadcrumbs in another. Dredge the eggplant in flour, then the beaten egg, and finally the breadcrumbs.
    How to make, main course, vegetarian
  • Pour the olive oil on a baking sheet. Place the breaded eggplant on the baking sheet.
    How to make, main course, vegetarian
  • Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes; flipping half way through.
    How to make, main course, vegetarian
  • While the eggplant is baking, melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Sauté the minced garlic for 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour.
    How to make, main course, vegetarian
  • Pour in the whole milk and continue to whisk for 5 minutes until thickened.
    How to make, main course, vegetarian
  • Take off the heat. Whisk in the parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
    How to make, main course, vegetarian
  • Pour half of the tomato sauce into a large glass baking dish. Arrange the eggplant on top of the sauce.
    How to make, main course, vegetarian
  • Pour over the cream sauce.
    How to make, main course, vegetarian
  • Place a spoonful of sauce on top of each slice of eggplant; followed by a slice of mozzarella. Season with the dried herbs. Top with the parmesan cheese.
    How to make, main course, vegetarian
  • Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until the top is bubbly. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
    How to make, main course, vegetarian
How to make, main course, vegetarian
Serve with garlic bread.