Garden Goodness

My once thriving garden has taken a turn for the worse. I am so bummed! My tomatoes are doing ok but not great. *sigh* So now I rely on my wonderful friends that have a greener thumb this year than I do. I met one of them for coffee the other day and she had a huge bag full of tomatoes and eggplant for me. The girls eat tomatoes like candy (which I couldn't be more pleased with) and my favorite thing to do with eggplant is to make eggplant parmesan. I wasn't up to frying the eggplant though. It always turns out a greasy mess. Also, my husband isn't a fan of tomato based sauces but loves a good salsa or bruschetta. So I decided to bake the eggplant rather than frying it and instead of a pureed tomato sauce I thought I would do something more chunky. I have to tell you that this turned out better than I expected. It was so flavorful and was even delicious as leftovers. I served it with a side of buttered angel hair pasta with some grated parmesan and basil thrown in. Yum. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Eggplant Parmesan


Fresh tomato sauce, see recipe below
3 eggplant peeled and thinly sliced
2-3 eggs beaten
4 cups seasoned bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
2/3 cup grated parmesan

1. Prepare fresh tomato sauce.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 - 10 minutes on each side or until desired crispness.

4. In a 13 x 9 inch baking dish spread a layer of the tomato sauce and top with eggplant slices and part of the cheese (just like a lasagna!). Repeat layers with remaining ingredients ending with the cheese.

5. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Fresh Tomato Sauce
Joy of Cooking

Drain in a colander for 20 minutes:

5 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and finely diced

Remove to a large bowl and stir in:

1/2 cup basil, oregano, or parsley leaves, finely chopped (I used basil)
1/2 cup pitted black oil-cured or brined olives - optional (I didn't use olives)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Let stand for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!