Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant Parmesan is a hearty helping of eggplant and just a liiiiiittle bit of parmesan. Perhaps the name should be "Eggplant Mozzarella" instead; there was about a pound of mozzarella in the dish.

I started by cutting eggplant into half inch slices:

Then I soaked the eggplant slices in milk and breaded them with homemade breadcrumbs and herbs. I think that homemade breadcrumbs are the superior choice! They are so easy to make too! I have included my amazingly simple recipe for making them at the bottom of this post.

The completed dish was quite tasty. I layered the breaded eggplant with Italian Tomato Sauce and thinly sliced pieces of mozzarella cheese. I sprinkled the top with a little bit of parmesan and baked the dish for about 30 minutes. Eggplant Parmesan is very similar in texture and taste to lasagna! It was a great dish, especially when paired with roasted garlic on a slice of sourdough bread. Yum!

Homemade Breadcrumbs

You Will Need:
Fresh or frozen bread (I use an inexpensive brand of sliced white bread)
Cookie sheet
Food processor

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. Lay sliced bread out on cookie sheet. Usually you can fit about 6 to 8 slices on a sheet.
3. Bake the bread in the low temperature oven for 15 minutes. Turn the slices about halfway through so that they dry properly.
4. Remove from oven and allow the bread to cool, about 5 minutes.
5. Tear the dried bread into smaller pieces and place in your food processor. You can fill it all the way and whirl until the bread reaches your desired crumbliness! For this recipe, I made finely ground breadcrumbs.
6. Bask in the glory that is homemade breadcrumbs. Tender, lovely, and extra special, because they're homemade!