Wednesday, May 28, 2008

eggplant parmagiana


my family makes this eggplant parmagiana often when we all get together. this way, all the kiddos are satisfied and none of them complain. well no one complains! even though it may seem long, it comes together really easily and the cool thing is that you can make it earlier and just slide it in the oven whenever you're ready to eat. i've adjusted this to suit my indian tastebuds (read spicy), but feel free to substitute or omit any of the veggies or herbs that go into this dish. try it out, you'll be a complete rockstar at dinner.

eggplant parmagiana
prep time: 4o min
bake time: 50 min
serves: about 6

first prep the veggies:
  • cut 2 small japanese eggplants, 1 zucchini and 1 yellow squash in thin rounds onto a baking sheet, add about 3 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and coat all the slices
  • bake in a preheated oven at 375 deg for about 20-30 minutes or until cooked through
  • meanwhile, dice one onion and 1/2 green and 1/2 red bell pepper and 4 cloves garlic - at this stage i also add finely diced green chillies for that indian heat ;)
putting it together:
  • you're going to make 2 layers, so use half of everything in the first layer

  • grease a large casserole dish with olive oil spray
  • cover the bottom of the pan with some pasta sauce (about 1-2 cups)
  • add half of the veggies you baked in the oven
  • then add 1/2 of the diced onions, bell peppers, garlic and chillies if using
  • sprinkle with italian seasoning, garlic salt, onion powder and fresh basil (optional)
  • cover with a good mozzarella cheese (i used soy cheese)
  • layer again starting with the pasta sauce and use up all the ingredients EXCEPT the cheese (add this in the final 5 minutes of baking)
  • at this point you can either bake it covered in a preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or keep it in the fridge to bake off later

Notes: keep the casserole covered when you bake this and you may also want to line the bottom of your oven with foil as sometimes it tends to bubble over a bit. i also add about 1/2 cup of water in between the 2 layers, so the veggies don't dry out, but then again, i like mine really saucy, so it's probably just me!

variations that i've made of this in the past included using mushrooms, spinach and parmagiana cheese. you really can't go wrong and what a sneaky way to get everyone to eat their veggies!

Listening to: The Chemical Brothers, 'Dig your own hole' from their album, Dig Your Own Hole (1997).

13 comments:

Swati Raman Garg said...

what a splendid dish alpa... too good..

Mona said...

Looks delicious! Am gonna try this, thnx for sharing!

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ranji said...

even i make eggplant parmiggianan..love it..urs looks absolutely tempting and tasty...drolling pics:)

sewtakeahike said...

Alpa, you are amazing. It must be heaven living in your house! This looks fantastic and easy. Right up my alley!

SASHREE said...

alpa,my visit to ur blog,itzz amazing.eggplant parmagisn looks delicious..makes me hungry :D

Vandana said...

Hi Alpa,
Thanks for visiting my blog! I love eggplant parmigiana, but never order it at restaurants since they overload it with cheese. I was looking for a good recipe. I will try this.
Thanks
Vandana

Alpa said...

Swati, Mona, Ranji, Penny, Sashree, Vandana - Thank you all for your extremely generous words! You guys are all awesome!

Penny - I was the lucky one, since all the elders took care of all the cooking :) Too bad you can't be a child forever, LOL!

Vandana - Please try it out, it's SUPER easy!

Rachel said...

eggplants and spicy too...the way I like it..nice one

Alpa said...

Rachel - Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hola, thanks for visiting my blog!!. we can exchange links, i will put yours on my blog, the food looks yummi!!!! and your pics from india, wow, someday i'll go!! seems to me such a colorful country.

xx jordana

Katie Gregg said...

That looks SO GOOD. Even my carnivore husband might like it!

Alpa said...

Jordana - Thanks so much for visiting! I would love to add you to my blogroll!

Katie - Thanks for your sweet comment!! There is nothing more a vegetarian likes to hear than even a carnivore might be willing to give it a go :)

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