Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Saturday afternoon I was in a bit of a funk for no particular reason. Which was odd, because the weather was fabulous and actually fall-like, we were getting together in the evening with some of our best friends and I went grocery shopping, which to me is never a chore, but a fun activity. I knew the best way to improve my mood was to spend some time in my kitchen, and of course I was right. Almost instantly I was feeling better.

I was craving some kind of comfort food and eggplant parmesan sounded perfect. Despite it being a favorite dish of mine, I'd never actually tried making it at home before, but I was pretty sure I could do it without following a recipe. I was very happy with how it came out.

I rarely use store bought sauce ever since a friend showed me a few years back how easy it is to make your own. I always make it a little different, depending on what I have on hand. This was the first time I actually wrote down what I used or measured out ingredients, and I'm glad I did because this one was definitely worth sharing. You could use another marinara recipe or even jarred sauce, but I believe the sauce was certainly a big part of why my first attempt at eggplant parm was such a success.

Baked Eggplant Parmesan (3 servings)
1 small to medium eggplant (1 lb.) unpeeled and cut into 1/2 in. rounds
kosher salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Italian style dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp shredded parmesan
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
cooking spray
2 1/2 cups of chunky marinara (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Salt and press eggplant by placing a layer of eggplant in collander. Top with salt. Repeat with all of the eggplant. Cover and weigh down, for an hour. One at a time, rinse salt off of slices and blot dry with paper towels. (This entire process can be omitted to save time, if desired.)

Prepare two shallow bowls for dredging, one with eggs, the other with breadcrumbs and parmesan. Dip an eggplant slice into the egg and allow excess to drip off. Dredge into breadcrumb and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese mixture. Place on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat with all eggplant pieces. Bake for 10 minutes, flip and bake for 15 minutes.

Raise oven temperature to 400. Spread about 1/2 cup of marinara in the bottom of an 11 x 7 baking dish. Place a layer of eggplant over sauce. Top with another cup of sauce and sprinkle with half of the cheeses. Repeat with remaning eggplant, sauce and cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.

Chunky Marinara (makes 4 1/2 cups)
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregeno
1 tsp parsley
1 (15 oz.) can diced or whole tomatoes, pureed (or 1 can of of crushed tomatoes)
1 (15 oz.) can Italian style diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (6 oz.) can of tomato paste
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp red pepper (or to taste)
1/2 cup dry red wine (I used a Cabernet)

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes or until soft but not browned. Add basil, oregano and parsley. Cook for another few minutes.

Add all of the remaining ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour. If not using the sauce is not being used right then, refrigerate or freeze.