QUICK eggplant parmesan recipe??

Dimpled

Mon, Jul 25 2011, 12:12 pm

Does such a thing exist?
All the recipes I come across take SO LONG!
Does anyone have a quick recipe? (DH loves eggplant) or any other eggplant recipe I can make for supper?

ra_mom

Mon, Jul 25 2011, 12:17 pm

Slice eggplant 1/2" thick. Dust with flour. Dip in beaten egg. Dredge in breadcrumbs.
Arrange in one even layer on a greased cookie sheet. Spray or drizzle with oil. Bake uncovered at 400 for 20 minutes, turning over halfway through.
Layer breaded eggplant, marinara sauce, and cheese.
Bake uncovered at 400 until brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

lkwdmommy

Mon, Jul 25 2011, 12:24 pm

I got this recipe from the Eden advertisement. I think it's by Estee Kafra.

Buy the frozen breaded eggplant made by Eden Kosher. Lay them on a baking tray and put into Preheated 425 degree oven. Then, slice 1 red and 1 green pepper. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle kosher salt and pepper, place in oven. Bake both for 20 minutes.

In 9x13 pan, layer marinara sauce, one layer eggplant, the peppers, shredded cheese, marianara, another layer of eggplant, marinara and shredded cheese. Bake covered at 350 for 1/2 hour. YUM!!!

No fail, everyone loves this recipe!

centurion

Mon, Jul 25 2011, 1:52 pm

the quickest way is to use prepared eggplants. the quickest way with preparing your own eggplant is, like ra_mom said, by baking. it's also slightly less fattening. I used the cook's illustrated method and, yes it takes a long time but it's delicious. I'm including the recipe with the sauce but you can also use storebought marinara.

EGGPLANT PARMESAN
serves 6 to 8. Published January 1, 2004.

Use kosher salt when salting the eggplant. The coarse grains don't dissolve as readily as the fine grains of regular table salt, so any excess can be easily wiped away. To be time-efficient, use the 30 to 45 minutes during which the salted eggplant sits to prepare the breading, cheeses, and sauce.

Eggplant

2 pounds globe eggplant (2 medium eggplants), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 tablespoon kosher salt
8 slices high-quality white bread (about 8 ounces), torn into quarters (I use leftover challah)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
6 tablespoons vegetable oil

Tomato Sauce

3 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 generous tablespoon)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves chopped

8 ounces whole milk mozzarella or part-skim mozzarella, shredded (2 cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce)
10 fresh basil leaves torn, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. FOR THE EGGPLANT: Toss half of eggplant slices and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt in large bowl until combined; transfer salted eggplant to large colander set over bowl. Repeat with remaining eggplant and kosher salt, placing second batch in colander on top of first. Let stand until eggplant releases about 2 tablespoons liquid, 30 to 45 minutes. Arrange eggplant slices on triple layer paper towels; cover with another triple layer paper towels. Firmly press each slice to remove as much liquid as possible, then wipe off excess salt.

2. While eggplant is draining, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions, place rimmed baking sheet on each rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees. Pulse bread in food processor to fine, even crumbs, about fifteen 1-second pulses (you should have about 4 cups). Transfer crumbs to pie plate and stir in 1 cup Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; set aside. Wipe out bowl (do not wash) and set aside.

3. Combine flour and 1 teaspoon pepper in large zipper-lock bag; shake to combine. Beat eggs in second pie plate. Place 8 to 10 eggplant slices in bag with flour; seal bag and shake to coat eggplant. Remove eggplant slices, shaking off excess flour, dip in eggs, let excess egg run off, then coat evenly with bread crumb mixture; set breaded slices on wire rack set over baking sheet. Repeat with remaining eggplant.

4. Remove preheated baking sheets from oven; add 3 tablespoons oil to each sheet, tilting to coat evenly with oil. Place half of breaded eggplant on each sheet in single layer; bake until eggplant is well browned and crisp, about 30 minutes, switching and rotating baking sheets after 10 minutes, and flipping eggplant slices with wide spatula after 20 minutes. Do not turn off oven.

5. FOR THE SAUCE: While eggplant bakes, process 2 cans diced tomatoes in food processor until almost smooth, about 5 seconds. Heat olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and garlic is light golden, about 3 minutes; stir in processed and remaining can of diced tomatoes. Bring sauce to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced, about 15 minutes (you should have about 4 cups). Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. TO ASSEMBLE: Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Layer in half of eggplant slices, overlapping slices to fit; distribute 1 cup sauce over eggplant; sprinkle with half of mozzarella. Layer in remaining eggplant and dot with 1 cup sauce, leaving majority of eggplant exposed so it will remain crisp; sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan and remaining mozzarella. Bake until bubbling and cheese is browned, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; scatter basil over top, and serve, passing remaining tomato sauce separately.

mom2be1

Mon, Jul 25 2011, 2:46 pm

I skip the breading part its easier and more diet friendly. I salt the eggplant for 1/2 hr. to let the bitterness drain out, rinse it, and then lay the eggplant sprinkle some bread crumbs, spay with pam and cover with sauce and mozzerella cheese. I repeat this 2-3 times, cover and bake at 350 for 45 min.

mha3484

Mon, Jul 25 2011, 3:17 pm

I slice the eggplant thin and cook it in a frying pan. When they are brown and soft I layer them with sauce and cheese. I sprinkle breadcrumbs on the top for some crunch. Then I bake at 350 til brown and the cheese is melted.

Mommeeeeeeee!

Mon, Jul 25 2011, 3:45 pm

lkwdmommy wrote:

I have done exactly this, but without the peppers as I prefer eggplant parm without them, and instead of drizzling with oil, you can just spray them with cooking spray (the eggplant slices I mean, as I didn't use the peppers). To make them crispy on both sides, turn over midway through baking and spray the side that is now faceup, then bake further.
This is easy enough for kids to do, but I prefer that they use sliced mozzarella cheese as shredded cheese usually turns out to be a big mess when kids are around.

Variation: Same as above but use a deep enough pan so you can also include layers of cooked lasagna noodles - yum! Did this just last week, actually, to break the fast. I did three layers of each ingredient.

Dolly Welsh

Tue, Jul 26 2011, 12:37 am

For quicker crunch, could you use toast crumbs instead of bread crumbs? Maybe cheese melts faster if its shredded? Fry the slices, then put the toppings on, then cover the frying pan, with no need for the oven? That might be quicker. If it's soggy, let the steam out, and put more crumbs on. Maybe use tomato paste instead of tomato sauce, for less water content.