Easy eggplant parm / casserole

[Anonymous]

I'm trying to think of quick things to make for dinner this week and I happen to have an eggplant. Most eggplant parm casserole type recipe have you slice, dredge and bake the eggplant slices in the oven for 15 min prior to layering them in a casserole dish with sauce and cheese and baking for another 30 minutes or so. I'm contemplating cutting out the first bake step and just placing the thinly sliced eggplant sections right in the casserole and extending the baking time. Is this a recipe for disaster? I don't want under cooked eggplant, but I'm trying to streamline cooking this week. I'm trying to make the best eggplant either, this is just a mid-week family meal.

[Anonymous]

PP, mean to say "NOT trying to make the best eggplant ever"

[Anonymous]

If you're near a trader joes, they sell already-breaded and baked eggplant rounds in the frozen food section. Then all you have to do is layer them with cheese and sauce. I wouldn't just put the raw eggplant in. I've never done it, but it does seem like it won't yield a very good result. What if you skipped the breading/baking step, and just sliced the eggplant thin and put the slices on a baking sheet with some spices and a drizzle of olive oil? I've done that before with eggplant that I was putting into a veggie lasagna, and it came out fine.

[Anonymous]

I would skip the second bake. After you bread the eggplant, just put it on a baking sheet for 15-20 minutes, until it starts to brown. I heat up spaghetti sauce in the microwave and put that and cheese (and fresh basil) out for everyone to serve themselves, so you get the eggplant/sauce/cheese combo but with a lot less work and the eggplant slices stay nice and crispy. Making a casserole with breaded eggplant would make it mushy, unless there's some trick I don't know. I also like to add a little crushed red pepper to the sauce (if you like a little spice) and feta as well as parmesan to put on top of the eggplant when it's done. Hope this helps!

[Anonymous]

PP here--another eggplant quick tip is that you can skip salting and rinsing the eggplant if it is not bitter--I taste a little bit of the raw eggplant to see if I need to do this.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it's a recipe for disaster. Don't do it; the eggplant will be hard and bitter.

I make Mark Bittman's eggplant parm and broil the eggplant instead of breading, frying etc.:

Preheat oven to Broil.

Peel and slice the eggplant in 1/2" wheels. Put in a bowl, douse w/olive oil and salt, mix around. Spray a cookie sheet with oil, and arrange the slices next to each other (don't layer). Broil for 4-5 min/side. When they are done, use them in the eggplant parm as you would had you breaded/fried etc.

The effect is lighter and delish IMO.

Sometimes I broil eggplant like this just to eat as a side dish with e.g. black beans w/quinoa and feta.

[Anonymous]

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mikes-deli-famous-eggplant-parmigiana-recipe/index.html

This recipe isn't quick but we absolutely love it. It won a throwdown with Bobby Flay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mikes-deli-famous-eggplant-parmigiana-recipe/index.html

This recipe isn't quick but we absolutely love it. It won a throwdown with Bobby Flay.

NP here

Not to depart from the subject but I can't stand that guy. Such an ass......his food seems really over spiced too and I like it hot

[Anonymous]

I agree that broiling first works well. Just made a version last night from one of the Six O'Clock Scramble cookbooks--eggplant is dipped in egg and breadcrumbs/panko, then broiled, before adding other ingredients and baking 20 minutes.