Last weekend I discovered an eggplant in my fridge that I completely forgot about, not wanting it to go to waste I decided to make some eggplant parm. I figured I could easily modify my chicken parm recipe for eggplant parm. The problem with this was that I didn’t have any bread crumbs but I wasn’t about to let that stop me, I wanted cheesy, saucy, eggplant goodness so I scoured the cupboards and fridge looking for an acceptable substitute. To my delight I found some wheat germ that I knew would do the trick.
To prepare the eggplant (which I don’t have pictures of because I’m a dork) slice it into 1/4″ slices, salt both sides and let it sit for 30 minutes to draw out the water, then rinse off the salt and pat dry. Whisk an egg, dip the eggplant slices in the egg and then into seasoned wheat germ and place on a broiler sheet, toss them in the oven and bake.
Spread a thin layer of sauce in a foil lined baking dish (if you really enjoy scrubbing baking dishes feel free to skip the foil) and top with a layer of eggplant. Sprinkle the eggplant with Parmesan cheese and top with mozzarella cheese (confession, I didn’t have mozzarella so I used monterey jack, it was still delicious but if you want to be more authentic use mozzarella).
Add a layer of sauce to the top of the cheese.
Top with another slice of eggplant.
Add another layer of the cheeses.
Put the baking dish in the oven and bake until the cheese is browned and bubbly.
Serve with extra sauce and fresh basil if you so desire.
Enjoy the deliciousness that you just made!
Recipe
Eggplant Parmesan
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 small eggplant
1 egg
1 cup wheat germ (or bread crumbs)
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning (basil, oregano, parsley)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup tomato sauce (plus more for serving)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
8 oz mozzarella cheese
fresh basil (optional for serving)
– Slice the eggplant into 1/4″ thick slices and salt both sides and let sit in a colander or on a wire cooling rack over a cookie sheet for 30 minutes then rinse off the slices with cold water and pat dry
– Whisk the egg in a bowl
– Combine the wheat germ and spices in a bowl
– Dip the eggplant slices in the egg then dredge in the wheat germ mixture and place on a cookie sheet or broiler pan
– Bake at 375 °F for 30 minutes
– Spoon a thing layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a foil lined baking dish, add a layer of eggplant, top with half of the cheeses, add a layer of spaghetti sauce, top with another layer of eggplant and the remaining cheeses
– Bake at 375 °F for 30 minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbly
– Serve with extra sauce and fresh basil as desired
