Baked Eggplant and Zucchini Parmesan
Eggplant and Zucchini have been coming out of my ears (nearly) all Summer long thanks to a luscious and bountiful garden season. Combining the two for a tasty baked Parmesan recipe was the perfect solution to using more of the produce lying around my kitchen. It was a big hit with my friends and I'll definitely be making more in the Summer seasons to come.
Yield: About 6 Servings
INGREDIENTS
2 Asian Eggplant, cut into 1/4" rounds
2 Medium Zucchini, cut into 1/4" rounds
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp Water
1 Cup Plain Breadcrumbs or Panko
1 1/2 Cups Parmesan Cheese, shredded and divided
1 Tbsp Fresh Oregano, finely chopped
1 Tbsp Fresh Basil, finely chopped
1/2 Tbsp Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
Freshly Ground Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
5 Cups Fresh Tomato Sauce (or from a Jar)
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a small bowl whisk together Eggs and Water. On a large plate with a fork mix together Bread Crumbs, 1 Cup Parmesan, Oregano, Basil and Rosemary. Season with Salt and Pepper.
3. Dip Eggplant and Zucchini, piece by piece into Egg mixture. Then drag both sides of each wet piece through Bread Crumb mixture, pressing on each side to ensure coating sticks. Lay each coated piece on the baking sheet. Once all pieces are coated, place in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes, turning over once mid-cooking so that both sides are browned.
4. Remove Roasted Eggplant and Zucchini from oven and layer half the veggies in a large Pyrex baking dish. Pour half the Tomato Sauce evenly over Eggplant and Zucchini. Sprinkle half the Mozzarella over the first layer. Make a second layer with remaining veggies, cover with remaining Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella. Top with remaining 1/2 Cup of Parmesan.
5. Place pan in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes until sauce is bubbling and cheese is browned.
6. Remove from oven serve warm over pasta. Enjoy!
