Easy Eggplant Parmesan

Our garden is producing a few eggplants a week right now and we have more tomatoes and basil than we know what to do with, so I found an easier recipe for Eggplant Parmesan. I spent wayyyyy too much time on a version of it last year, and can have good intentions about making it again, but I know I just won’t. This recipe eliminates a couple of steps and makes it a weeknight possibility, it’s available at killingthyme.net.

The recipe consists of three main steps: prepping the eggplant, baking the eggplant and then pulling together the rest of the dish.

Easy Eggplant Parmesan

2 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

1 1/2 c panko breadcrumbs

1 1/2 T Italian seasoning

1 1/2 T Parmesan

1 t salt

2 eggs, beaten

1 25oz jar of tomato sauce (or homemade sauce)

2 c mozzarella

Fresh basil leaves

Place eggplant discs on a paper towel and sprinkle salt on each and cover with another paper towel for 30 minutes. This pulls any bitterness out of the vegetable, probably not necessary unless the eggplant is not yet ripe.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs and set aside. In another shallow bowl, mix the panko crumbs, Italian seasoning, parmesan and salt. Dip each eggplant disc into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture and place on the baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake the eggplant rounds for 20-25 minutes or until crisp, flipping them over hallway through. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Coat the bottom of a cast iron skillet with tomato sauce. Layer the eggplant rounds on top of the sauce and top with mozzarella, continue until all eggplant and sauce and mozzarella has been used. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for five minutes and sprinkle parmesan cheese and fresh basil over the top before serving.