Eggplant Parm

After nearly 5 years of marriage I have finally served Tom a vegetarian dish that was so good he requested I make it again sometime! I try to include a vegetarian dish in our weekly menu because lets face it, it's good for the budget. Also, I secretly kind of want to be herbivore. Not necessarily forever, but to just give it a try. However, I am not willing to make two separate dinners most nights and the hubby is pretty sure he may die of starvation if he is deprived meat for an extended amount of time.

I have resigned myself to the fact that vegetables have their place in our house and it is not as our main dish . . . most nights. If you, like me, have difficulty getting your hubby to eat veggies as a main dish here is my best advice. Sandwich the "V" meal between two days that you make some of his favorite dishes. For example Monday I made beer can chicken and Wednesday I made hamburgers which means Tuesday I subtly squeezed in Eggplant Parmigiana. Of course if I had known it was going to be such a hit I wouldn't have had to go to such lengths, but hey it didn't hurt any.

So here is the recipe for Eggplant Parmigiana (once again from my Betty Crocker Cookbook). I'll admit, it isn't the healthiest recipe I've made but it isn't the worst either.

What you will need:

• 2 cups Spaghetti Sauce
• 2 small unpeeled eggplants (about 1 lb each)
• 1 egg
• 2 TBSP water
• 2/3 cup dry bread brumbs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Cut eggplants into 1/4-inch slices. Mix egg and water. Dip eggplant into egg mixture and then into bread crumbs. Pan fry in oil on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

I used a 9x9 baking dish. Put half the eggplant pieces on the bottom of the baking dish, overlapping pieces if necessary. Cover with 1 cup of  spaghetti sauce and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers.

Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is light brown.  

Here it is looking suspiciously like lasagna but I promise it's not.

As usual linking up here