Longtime readers know I love using mayo in so much more than sandwiches (although it's great there, too!). Whether I'm keeping my turkey moist while it's roasting, making an inspired sauce for pizza, or making my favorite fried fish, mayonnaise is a versatile ingredient in the kitchen. So it only makes sense that I'd turn to it to make eggplant parmesan, one of my favorites, easier to put together:
Many recipes call for the eggplant to be soaked in beaten eggs before dredged in delicious cheesy crumbs. But what if you used mayo and avoided the dripping and crumb sliding that always seems to happen when you go for the egg wash? Mayo covers your favor needs, is great for holding crumbs to just about anything, and is super easy to just brush onto items with a pastry or basting brush. Hooray!
Since this dish likes to bake for the better part of an hour, I like to toss some French bread slathered with garlic butter in alongside it during the last 10 minutes of baking and otherwise toss together a salad. Something with your favorite mixed greens, ripe tomatoes, and maybe some cubed, marinated feta would be absolutely divine and have you putting a company-ready dinner on the table in less than an hour. Not bad!
Baked Eggplant Parmesan
- 1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds & salted for 10 minutes
- 1 c. tomato sauce, divided
- 2/3 c. fine bread crumbs
- 1 c. grated parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/4 c. mayonnaise
Preheat the oven to 350° F. After allowing the salted eggplant slices to rest for 10 minutes, carefully blot any visible juices from the surface of the rounds with paper towels. Spread 1/3 cup of the tomato sauce (choose your favorite variety or make your own) evenly over the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish.
Combine the bread crumbs and 1/3 cup of the grated parmesan cheese together in a shallow dish. Brush each eggplant slice liberally with the mayonnaise and then carefully dredge both sides in the cheesy bread crumbs. Arrange the eggplant rounds over the tomato sauce in the baking dish. Repeat until all of the rounds have been coated. Carefully pour the remaining tomato sauce over the eggplant rounds and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven until the eggplant is soft and the cheese is melted, about 40 minutes. If desired, remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes before serving to give the dish a bit of additional texture.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: About an hour