Feed Me Friday - Food for the Body and Soul - Hey Brother I Got Eggplant!

For our inspirational portion of today's blog, the song, Hey Brother, by Avicci. 'If the sky comes falling down for you, there is nothing in the world I wouldn't do'.  Thanks to my slightly younger friend Rachel for the suggestion - love it!

The BEST Eggplant Parmesan I have EVER had!!

This is my adaptation of a recipe I saw on the Internet by Mario Batali!

1 large eggplant
1 large onion
Tomato sauce - 15 oz can
chopped garlic (I use the already chopped in a jar)
2-4 tomatoes

Carrots (I had roasted baby carrots in the fridge, so that's what I used, but you can use 1 whole regular carrot if you want) either finely chopped or grated. (NOT even necessary, but a great way to add more veggies and flavor)

Mozzarella cheese, grated (about a cup)
grated Parmesan (I use the parm/reggiano in a shaker from the grocery but fresh from the deli would be even better!)

1/3 cup breadcrumbs (I happen to have the kind with Italian spices)
 
Preheat oven to 425


Oil baking sheet with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
Slice 1 large eggplant into 1/2 inch slices
Slice 1 onion (I always use Vidalia, but any will work!) into 1/2 inch slices
Place eggplant and onion on greased baking sheet and sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Bake about 20 minutes or until they are golden brown like this (OK, I forgot to take the picture until part of them had been removed, but you get the idea) 
 

 

While those are roasting, put the tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, garlic and grated/chopped carrots in a sauce pan to warm up. Medium heat or so. You can season with Italian seasoning, or buy the sauce with it already in it. You can also just buy diced tomatoes in a can, but I used what I had on hand!

Lower oven temp to 350

Place 4 or 5 of the largest eggplant slices into a casserole type, oven safe dish, with some EVOO on the bottom

Place some of the onion on top

Place a spoonful or so of sauce on each one

Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, then the parmasan cheese

Repeat

Once your stacks are complete, sprinkle with breadcrumbs. My breadcrumbs are very dark in the photo because the recipe I used called for toasted breadcrumbs, which I think is unnecessary. I won't do it the next time.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melty.

By now, your house will smell AMAZING, so eat one as soon as it cools enough so that you don't burn your mouth! 

You should probably just double the recipe to begin with because these will go FAST!!! I ate just one - at a time!!

ENJOY!!! I am always on the look out for new recipes, so if you have one that you would like to share, please leave it in a comment below, or use the Contact Street Chicks box to the right.