Ronnie's Notes
When I need a meatless meal, Eggplant Parmesan is one of my traditional go-tos. It’s familiar, relatively easy to prepare and you can cook it in advance and freeze it for about a month. Best of all, it tastes really good.
I especially love this dish in the summer when my garden is in bloom with thick, fresh purple eggplants!
The recipe below lists one cup of marinara sauce. I make my own and freeze that too. But in a pinch, store-bought works too when you want to make things easier on yourself.
Another thing that’s easy -- and less caloric too -- I roast the eggplant slices instead of breading and frying them.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Slice the eggplant about 1/8-inch thick, sprinkle with salt and let rest for .
Wipe the eggplant slices dry and place them on a baking sheet.
Brush each side of each slice of eggplant with a film of olive oil.
Roast the slices for , turning them once, until they are softened and lightly browned.
Remove the slices from the oven.
Place 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce in a baking dish.
Place 1/3 of the eggplant slices in top (overlap the slices slightly).
Mix the ricotta cheese with 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the egg and oregano.
Place half of this cheese mixture on top of the eggplant slices.
Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese.
Add another layer of eggplant slices.
Cover with the remaining ricotta cheese mixture.
Spread with the remaining (1/2 cup) marinara sauce.
Cover with the remaining eggplant slices.
Sprinkle with the remaining (3/4 cup) mozzarella cheese and the remaining (1/4 cup) Parmesan cheese.
Bake for or until the cheese has melted and is beginning to turn lightly brown.