Many families enjoy chicken parmesan for dinner. Eggplant parmesan is an alternative take on this classic dish. This recipe is vegetarian-friendly, making it a popular choice for those who want or need to be accommodating to certain dietary restrictions. Due to the use of cheese, this recipe isn't vegan-friendly.
If you want to make this particular recipe suitable for vegans, you can either omit the cheese or use vegan cheese. Some people cannot digest eggplant, so make sure you verify that anyone you'll be serving this to can actually have it. If they can, this is an absolute must-make!
This recipe uses just the right type and amount of spices to create an excellent flavor profile. A little bit of sugar helps balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. Make sure you buy regular stewed tomatoes, not ones with any extra flavor. This recipe already uses garlic to give it lots of great taste.
Serve this dish on its own, or with a side of buttered egg noodles. Egg noodles are cheap and easy to come by. Add some of the parmesan cheese on top of the pasta to really tie the two dishes together! This recipe is definitely one you'll be returning to again and again.
Eggplant Tomato Parmesan
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
2 tablespoons salad oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon flour
1 pound can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon basil
Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Peel and slice eggplant. Simmer, covered, in small amount of boiling, salted water for about 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
2. In hot oil in skillet, saute garlic until golden. Stir in flour, stewed tomatoes, salt, sugar, paprika, pepper and basil.
3. Cook, stirring over medium heat until mixture boils and is slightly thickened.
4. Mix eggplant with other ingredients, place in greased casserole dish and top with grated Parmesan.
5. Bake 20 minutes in 375 degree F oven.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©William Rothstein | Dreamstime.com.