Oven-Baked Eggplant Parmesan

The eggplant and tomatoes were staring me down. I have been on the receiving end of a family member's CSA farmshare program and the eggplant and tomatoes just won't stop. Previously, I was on a caponata bender, but I just got bored making the same thing over and over. I was also tired from a long day, and not much in the mood for researching some more creative eggplant recipes, so I decided to do a variation on the classic Italian Eggplant Parmesan.

In the traditional Eggplant "Parm", thin slices of eggplant are treated to an egg wash and a coating of breadcrumbs before hitting a hot saute pan with oil. That sounded a like a spattery mess I'd be in no mood to clean up after dinner.

Well, they "oven-fry" chicken, don't they? So why couldn't I oven-bake Eggplant Parm?

Just like the original recipe, I dipped my thin eggplant slices in egg wash, but I included some dry, grated parmesan cheese in the crumbs to increase the likelihood of a crispy, golden crust. I put my breadcrumb cheese mixture in a big plastic bag and coated the eggplant slices in the bag. Ha! No dredging pan to wash! After my eggplant was nicely coated, I lightly oiled a baking sheet with canola oil, laid my slices down, brushed their tops gently with just a little more canola, covered the pan with aluminum foil and baked at 350 for 45 minutes.

They were coming along nicely this way, but at the 45 minute mark, I topped each eggplant slice with a little prosciutto and some fresh, grated mozzarella and baked uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. The prosciutto could certainly be omitted for a vegetarian-friendly recipe.

I know all that cheese may have canceled out some of the health benefits of not sauteing the eggplant in a puddle of oil, but I think the flavor was worth it. And I was not at all heavy-handed with the cheese...just a little bit made it attractive and flavorful.

I served this over spaghetti with homemade marinara sauce (from that endless supply of tomatoes) that I enhanced with some oven-roasted cherry tomatoes I had made last month and frozen. (Oven-roasted tomatoes are slow-cooked for flavor concentration...much like sun-dried tomatoes but way lighter).

It was a satisfying meal and so psychologically satisfying to wave goodbye to that last eggplant lurking in the vegetable drawer. The big bonus was that I didn't have to babysit a saute pan...got some other things accomplished while the oven did my work...AND it was an absolute cinch to clean up.

Oh, and mi esposo, who used to claim he DETESTED eggplant got a big, fat "Clean Plate Club" award tonight. You should try it, too. (It's easy, dahling) If you need more convincing, go online and learn how eggplant will kick the hindquarters of any free radical all the way down to the end of your block.