My Mom's Eggplant Parmesan

Don't get me wrong, I love going to an Italian Resturant or a Pizzeria and ordering Eggplant Parmesan.   I absolutely love eggplant, so whenever I can order it, it's a real treat.  But...no one beats my Mom's Eggplant Parmesan!  I know, I know, it sounds like I'm kissing up.  But really, it's the best.  My Mom doesn't like breaded eggplant, and her old friend Tina (who happens to be Sicilian) taught her how to make Eggplant Parmesan the Sicilian way.  Let me just say, it's phenomenal (and EASY)!  I honestly could eat a whole batch myself!  This has been one of my absolute favorite dishes for as long as I can remember.  I was quite pleasantly surprised that Eoin loved this as well!  I honestly didn't think he would even try it, so I made something else for him.  He was so intrigued he started picking from my plate.  He absolutely loved this!  At the end of summer, I may make another two batches, that way I can freeze one for a nice hearty meal during the fall.  This time I used Meaty Hearty Pasta Sauce, but you could use any red, tomato-based sauce you like.  When you cut the eggplant, cut it a little thicker, it gives the dish a nice flavor and consistency.  As my regular followers know, I am a big fan of cutting eggplant thick, I actually LIKE to taste the eggplant in the dish!  I got my eggplants for this recipe from our local Farmer's Market, which I will be posting about very soon.  If you want a breaded alternative, be sure to check out my recipe for Crunchy Eggplant Cutlet Parmesan. 

Yields 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized eggplants
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil, more as needed
• 1 lb mozzarella cheese (your preference as to whole milk, part skim...)
• 1 jar of marinara sauce (I used a 1 lb container's worth)

Directions:

• Peel the eggplant(s) with a vegetable peeler.  Cut eggplant(s) lengthwise into at least 1" slices.
• Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.
• Fry each slice until just tender.  Remove from heat and let cool on paper towel lined plate.

• Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.  After eggplant has dried and cooled, start assembling casserole as you would a lasagna.  Spread some sauce on the bottom of the baking dish:

followed by a layer of eggplant,

and then cheese. 

Repeat until baking dish is full.

• Bake for 45-60 min at 350.