Eggplant Parmesan
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil, or as needed
- 1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup Italian-style dry bread crumbs
- 1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 cups Beef Bolognese (page 111) or 1 26-ounce jar store-bought bolognese or marinara
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Lightly brush or spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with vegetable oil.
- Wash the eggplant, but do not peel it.
- Cut it crosswise in 1/4-inch-thick slices.
- In a shallow dish or pie plate, lightly beat the eggs.
- In another shallow dish or pie plate, combine the bread crumbs with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and stir with a fork until well combined.
- Working with one eggplant slice at a time, coat it on both sides with the egg and allow the excess to drip off.
- Place it in the bread crumbs, and coat on both sides.
- Transfer to a platter or baking sheet.
- Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat until shimmery and hot but not smoking.
- Add as many slices of eggplant as can fit in a single layer; do not crowd the pan.
- Cook until golden brown and crisp on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
- Transfer the eggplant slices to the prepared baking sheet.
- Repeat with the remaining slices, adding more oil as needed.
- Meanwhile, pour the Bolognese in a small saucepan; if using jarred sauce, add a little water to the jar.
- Close the jar and shake it to loosen the sauce stuck to the sides of the jar.
- Add the water to the saucepan.
- Over medium heat bring the sauce just to boiling.
- Cover, set aside, and keep warm.
- Arrange half of the eggplant slices along the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Top the eggplant with half of the warm sauce.
- Arrange half of the mozzarella slices on top and sprinkle with half of the remaining Parmesan cheese.
- Arrange the remaining eggplant slices over the cheese.
- Cover with the remaining meat sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan.
- Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and slightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
- For a pretty presentation, set aside half of the most uniformly sized eggplant slices for the top layer.
- Use the rest for the bottom layer that no one can see.
vegetable oil, eggplant, eggs, italianstyle dry bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, beef bolognese, mozzarella cheese
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/eggplant-parmesan-377909 (may not work)