Ciao Chow Linda

Eggplant Parmigiana

Cuisine: Italian

Author: Ciao Chow Linda

Grilling eggplant, instead of breading and frying, leads to a much lighter eggplant parmigiana.

Ingredients

• Two large eggplant

• about 1 – 2 cups tomato sauce (on the thin side because it will thicken in the oven)

• olive oil to coat the eggplant slices

• salt, pepper

• seasoned salt

• dried basil

• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Peel the eggplant, but not entirely.

2. Peel “stripes” in the eggplant, so some peel remains.

3. Drizzle olive oil over the slices, and season with salt pepper, (herbed salt if you have it) and dried basil.

4. Use an indoor grill pan to grill the eggplant slices (I don’t like using an outdoor grill for this recipe since I don’t want a “smoky” flavor).

5. Remove the eggplant slices when cooked through, and set aside.

6. Spread some tomato sauce in a casserole and place a layer of eggplant slices over the sauce.

7. Spread with a layer of the mozzarella cheese, then a layer of the parmesan.

8. Repeat with more sauce, another layer of the eggplant and cheeses

9. If you have enough eggplant, make a third layer, even if it’s only a partial layer, in order to use up the rest of the eggplant.

10. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese is golden.

11. If the top is still not golden, turn the heat up higher to 425 degrees, but keep a close watch so it doesn’t burn.