Last week, I posted a picture on several of my social media accounts that I was making eggplant parmigiana for dinner. I was amazed by how many people didn’t know that the inside of an eggplant was green {instead of purple}. It made me realize that many of people out there have never cooked, or eaten, eggplant. I have to admit that we were among that group of people until just a couple of years ago.
I remember I saw an eggplant at our Farmer’s Market and decided I better try this strange, yet beautiful vegetable. I did a lot of researching into other recipes and after a day or two I came up with my own recipe on how I thought it might be delicious.
That night, after dinner, my husband came to the conclusion that eggplant parmigiana was his new FAVORITE dinner. To this day it is still his favorite. I have to admit that over the last couple of years I have learned many things about eggplant {such as NEVER buy it from a grocery store they are always over ripe/rotten, bitter and yucky} and have perfected my recipe on just how we like to eat it.
Here’s how I like to make it . . .
Eggplant Parmigiana
Ingredients
- 1 Eggplant
- 1/4 cup Flour
- 1 Egg (1 T Water)
- 1/4 cup Bread Crumbs
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
- 1/2 teas. Salt
- 1/4 teas. Pepper
- 1/4 teas. Red Pepper, crushed
- 3-4 T Olive Oil
- 1 T Butter
- 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, grated
- Marinara
- Pasta
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place flour into a dish. Place egg wash (egg and water mixed together) into another dish. Place bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and red pepper into another dish.
Peel and slice the eggplant into about 3/8″ slices.
Coat each slice of eggplant with flour, then egg wash, and then into the breading mixture. Place onto plate while you prepare the rest of the slices.
Heat oil and butter on medium heat in a frying pan.
Place breaded eggplant into pan and cook until golden brown on both sides (only takes a couple of minutes). Place eggplant slices on lined cookie sheet.
Cook at 350 degrees until eggplant in done (just until eggplant is softened and no longer hard – about 10 minutes). Optional: Top with cheese and melt in oven. Then serve with pasta and your favorite marinara.
Preheat your oven to 350-400 degrees, it doesn’t really matter.
Place the flour into a dish. Place egg wash (egg and water mixed together) into another dish. Place bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and red pepper into another dish. 
Cut off the ends of the eggplant before you peel and slice the eggplant into about 3/8″ slices. You can slice into circles or into oblong slices. I change it up every time.
Note: The eggplant will begin to darken (just as an apple does, but much faster) where it has been cut. It only takes about 30-60 seconds after you cut/peel it. So immediately after peeling and cutting, bread the eggplant to stop the browning process.
Coat each slice of eggplant with flour, then egg wash, and then into the breading mixture. Place onto a plate while you prepare the rest of the slices.
Heat oil and butter on medium heat in a frying pan. When you can smell the olive oil and the butter is melted, place the breaded eggplant into the pan (cover with a splatter screen) and cook until light golden brown on both sides (only takes a couple of minutes). 
Place eggplant slices on lined cookie sheet and cook at 350 degrees until eggplant in done (just until eggplant is softened and no longer hard – about 10 minutes). Make sure only to fry the outside until light golden brown because the breading continues to darken as it cooks in the oven.
Optional: Top with cheese and melt in oven. Then serve with pasta and your favorite marinara.
