Crunchy Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant Parmesan is one of my favorite dishes.  But it's been years since I've made it due to some really disappointing results not to mention it's not exactly the healthiest dish when traditionally made.  But the last few weeks I keep eyeing the lovely eggplants in the produce section and thought I really should give it one more shot.

After going through a plethora of recipes, I settled on this one primarily because the eggplant is baked, not fried.  And it uses panko breadcrumbs giving it a crunchier bite.  It does take a bit of time, but it is not labor-intensive (you'll need an extra half hour to sweat the eggplant to help reduce bitterness).  And it's really not a summer dish as you're going to have your oven on high temps for a while.  But you can prepare the eggplant and sauce earlier in the day and then assemble it just before baking.  With the risk, of course, that you may end up eating the cooked eggplant slices being left with only sauce and cheese for your entree.

I did half the recipe and used an 8x8" dish and it worked perfectly.

CRUNCHY EGGPLANT PARMESAN (6-8 servings)

cooking spray
2 eggplants, peeled and sliced crosswise, 1/4-1/2" slices
2 tsp salt, or as needed
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 panko breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp dried Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 onion, diced
2 tsp minced garlic
4 cups prepared pasta sauce
2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend or mozzarella
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray an 11x13" baking dish and 2 baking sheets with cooking spray (I covered my baking sheets with aluminum foil for easy clean-up).

Place eggplant slices on racks over the sink or paper towels and sprinkle both sides of slices lightly with salt.  Let eggplant drain for 30 minutes, rinse, and pat dry with paper towels.  Place eggplant slices on prepared baking sheets.

Bake in the preheated oven until eggplant is softened, about 15 minutes.

Pour beaten eggs into a shallow bowl; combine panko bread crumbs with Italian seasoning in a separate shallow bowl.  Dip eggplant into the beaten egg and press into panko crumbs to coat.  Place breaded eggplant bacon the on the baking sheets and spray the slices with cooking spray.

Set oven rack about 6" from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.

Broil eggplant slices until tops are brown 2-3 minutes; remove slices, turn, and spray other sides with cooking spray.  Broil until golden brown, 2-3 minutes.  Remove eggplant and turn temperature to 350 degrees F.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook and stir onion and garlic until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in prepared pasta sauce and remove from heat.

Spread 1/3 of the pasta sauce into bottom of the prepared baking dish.  Top with half the eggplant slices, half the Italian cheese blend, and half of the Parmesan cheese.  Spread another 1/3 of the sauce over the layers; layer the remaining eggplant, remaining pasta sauce, Italian cheese blend, and Parmesan cheese.

Bake casserole in the 350F oven until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 30 minutes.  Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Source:  www.allrecipes.com