My new favorite way to make eggplant is what I call my Modern Eggplant Parmigiana, layered with sauce, mozzarella and sauteed spinach.
For this recipe, I use my homemade Italian Style bread crumbs and my marinara. Be sure to check out those recipes. I promise making these homemade does make a difference.
Recipe below
Modern Eggplant Parmigiana
Makes 12 Stacks
Eggplant Ingredients.
3 Medium Eggplants - sliced in rounds about a half an inch thick.
3 ½ cups Italian Style Bread Crumbs (See my recipe)
5 Eggs -beaten
⅓ cup Olive Oil, plus more to fry
8 Garlic Cloves
20 oz. Baby Spinach
¼ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp. Salt
16 oz. Low Moisture Mozzarella. I use Polly-o
2 ½ cups Tomato Sauce - see our recipe in highlight under “Marinara”
1 Cup Pecorino Romano - grated
Method
Dip each piece of eggplant in the beaten eggs and then coat in the bread crumbs.
Heat up a large frying pan with olive oil. Working in batches, fry all of your eggplant until cooked through and golden brown.
Preheat your oven to 375°.
In a frying pan saute the garlic in olive oil with red pepper flakes until fork tender. Add in the spinach and cook. Season with salt.
Lay out the larger round pieces of eggplant as the bottom of your stack on a greased rimmed baking sheet. With this recipe you should be able to make about 12 stacks. However, eggplant sizes will vary, so you could have more or less. Put some tomato sauce on each bottom piece of your stack (about a tablespoon). Then put some grated cheese, followed by the mozzarella and spinach. Then put another piece of eggplant. Continue this process until you have the stacks all done (three eggplant pieces per stack).
Top each stack with a little bit more sauce, grated cheese and mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes.. Serve.