Eggplant Parmesan

My husband asked me last night if I was conspiring against him by turning our family into vegetarians. I assured him that was not the case. It just so happened that I was in the mood for veggies during a recent trip to the grocery store. Friday night  was a vegetarian pizza of sorts, Saturday night we enjoyed butternut squash soup, and last night it was eggplant parmesan.  He warily admitted that he more than enjoyed the meals this weekend.

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So, back to last night.  Looking through a series of eggplant parmesan recipes on the internet I concocted my own inspired version.

After peeling and slicing 3/4 of a large eggplant I sprinkled them with salt and let them rest in a colander for 30 minutes; rinsed them with cold water and patted them dry.  Next, I dredged them in egg (beaten) and tossed them in bread crumbs. Finally I pan fried them in olive oil for about 4 minutes on each side. 

Let them rest on a baking sheet lined with a  paper towel.

I made a tomato-based sauce using a  can of diced tomatoes, a small can of tomato sauce, and a cup of marinara sauce. I poured a cup of the sauce on the bottom of a 8x8 baking dish.

Next, I placed 4 of the eggplant slices on top of the tomato sauce mixture.

Combine 1 c. ricotta, 1c. shredded mozzarella, and 1/2 cup of parmesan. Fold  in fresh basil. Put a big dollop of the cheese mixture on each eggplant slice.

Top the dollops of cheese with eggplant slices and spoon sauce over each mound. Finish with any remaining cheese. Bake at 375* for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!