Jeff's Eggplant Parmesan

By sadams1001

Ingredients

• 1 Eggplant - peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch circles
• Jar of tomato sauce
• Italian style bread crumbs
• 1 Egg - beaten
• All purpose flour
• Shredded Mozzarella cheese
• Ricotta cheese (optional)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt & Pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Bleeding:
Generously salt both sides of each slice, lay on a plate with a weight on top so that the slices can bleed (this process extracts the bitter juices) for about 15-20 minutes.

Rinse each slice under running water, dry on paper towels.

Breading:
Dip each slice in seasoned flour (salt and pepper); then in a beaten egg; then in Italian-style breadcrumbs

Frying:
Quickly fry each slice in a good amount of olive oil (1/2 cup); 1-2 minutes on each side until dark brown, drain on paper towels, oil temp should be medium/medium high. You can also oven-fry the slices in a 400 degree oven and save on the fat.

Layering:
Spread a 1/2 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish; layer fried eggplant slices, sprinkle on shredded mozzarella cheese, continue layering eggplant/cheese, top with sauce then cheese. Some people add ricotta cheese to each layer as well for a more rich taste.

Baking:
Bake covered for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees; remove cover the last ten minutes to brown the top.