Eggplant Parmesan Casserole

Eggplant parm is one of my favorite meatless dishes. Yeah, I know, I have a lot of favorites! This version uses a simple tomato/marinara sauce that my mother used to whip up for us growing up. It just has olive oil, garlic, fresh tomatoes, salt and pepper. I added some fresh parsley and basil to this version.

Since I am fasting for Orthodox lent I made some substitutions to make it vegan, instead of just vegetarian. I used vegan egg substitute for the breading station and used vegan mozzarella cheese for topping, which I found out doesn’t melt in the oven 🙂 (at least it didn’t for me), it was still very tasty. If you don’t need to make it vegan than just use a real egg and dairy mozzarella.

I prepared the eggplant a couple days before by slicing it, letting it sit in salted water (to get rid of some of the bitterness), rinsed and dried it well then lightly pan fried it in some canola oil with a sprinkle of salt and pepper then put it in the frig until I was ready to use it. You can also bake the slices, if you prefer, instead of pan frying…which I usually do so I don’t add too many calories from frying, but this time it was quicker for me to do it this way.

For the tomatoes, I scored an X on the bottom of each tomato and blanched them in boiling water for about 30 seconds and then removed. Once they are cool to the touch you can peel the skin right off.

You will need:

• 1 large eggplant, washed, ends cut off and sliced into 1/2 inch slices
• salted water (about 1 tablespoon of salt total), enough to cover sliced eggplants
• vegetable oil for frying
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (or other oil of preference)
• 1 1/2 cups fresh tomatoes (skin removed and stem area cut) (see note)
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, divided
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 4 ounces shredded mozzarella (regular or vegan)
• 3/4 cup flour with a couple of pinches of salt and pepper added
• 1/3 cup beaten egg (about 2 eggs) or vegan egg liquid
• 1 cup plain panko breadcrumbs with a couple of pinches of salt and pepper added

Steps:

1. Add sliced eggplant into salted water and keep pushed into water by adding a heavy dish on top of them and let sit for 15 to 30 minutes.
2. Remove eggplant from salted water, rinse and pat dry.
3. Add some vegetable oil to a non-stick pan on medium heat and lightly fry the eggplant, doesn’t need to be cooked all the way through, about a minute per side.
4. Remove onto paper towel to drain and finish frying the remainder. Once cooled you can proceed with the dish or you can store in refrigerator until you are ready to assemble eggplant parmesan casserole.
5. In the meantime, add chopped/sliced garlic into warm olive oil in a small pot on medium low heat and sauté for 30 seconds before adding the prepared tomatoes.
6. Stir tomatoes and garlic and break up with your spoon. If it’s easier take some kitchen shears and cut them up while in the pot.
7. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and continue to cook until tomatoes come to a simmer and have broken down (about 10 minute’s).
8. Add one tablespoon each of chopped parsley and chopped basil (reserve 1/2 tablespoon of basil for garnish) and simmer for 5 more minutes, until everything is slightly thickened.
9. Add about 1/3 cup to the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish (or around that size) and set aside.
10. In the meantime, set up your breading station with flour, egg, then panko bowls. Dip your eggplant on both sides first in the flour, then in the egg, and lastly in the bread crumbs.
11. Fry eggplant until lightly golden brown on each side and remove to the casserole dish (one layer).
12. When you have a full layer of fried eggplant in the casserole dish then top it with a little bit more sauce and then the shredded cheese. If you have some more eggplant then create a second layer but put them between the other eggplant instead of right on top. Add the rest of the sauce and the remaining cheese.
13. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for a couple of minutes then enjoy.

Note: to prepare the tomatoes, score with an X on the bottom of each tomato and blanched them in boiling water for about 30 seconds, and then removed. Once they are cool to the touch just peel the skin right off, starting at where you scored them. Also cut out the hard stem end.

Kali Orexi!