Provided by the Auburn Interfaith
Food Closet
RECIPE TYPE: Vegetable, side dish
SERVES: 8
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
• 2 medium eggplants (about 2 1/2 lbs.)
• 1 cup flour (or more, as needed)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup melted margarine or butter
• Cooking spray
• 1 24-oz. jar or can of pasta sauce
• 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated (or cheese of choice)
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
DIRECTIONS:
1 Preheat the oven to 425 °F.
2 Peel eggplants, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Soak slices in a large bowl of salted water for 2-3 minutes. Drain. Dip each eggplant slice in flour, then arrange on well-greased (or nonstick) baking sheets (do not overlap). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then drizzle melted margarine or butter over each slice.
3 Bake at 425 °F for about 30-35 minutes, turning eggplant slices once. Slices should be lightly brown and crisp. Remove eggplant slices from sheets and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 350 °F.
4 Spray a 13” x 9” baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon 1/4 of the pasta sauce (about 1 cup) on the dish bottom. Add a layer of eggplant slices, then mozzarella, and more sauce. Repeat layers. Sprinkle the top layer with parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 °F until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly (about 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
