After taking Tirzepatide and Zepbound for over a year, I am struggling to think of food to cook for supper and I have a husband to feed.
I somehow ended up in an Eggplant Parmigiana algorithm on Facebook and Instagram and for about a week I was inundated with Italian chefs making huge delicious sandwiches on wonderful crunchy bread loaves out of their trays of cheesy Eggplant Parm. It was making my mouth water even though Tirzepatide has killed my appetite.
I havent made it in a while but it's a simple dish, so on Thursday afternoon, I set out to make a tray of my own Eggplant Parm. I also make my own marinara sauce but for eggplant I would not hesitate to use a jar of Barilla Tomato Basil or Rao's or Carbone's pasta sauce.
My southern husband kept asking me what I was making and when I'd say Eggplant, he would look at me with a tilted head and confused look similar to that of the one my cat gives me. He is unaware of the existence of eggplant but he always loves what is on his plate.
Ingredients
1 large eggplant, unblemished and firm, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch planks (I leave skin on)
2 eggs, well beaten in a large shallow bowl
2 cups Progresso Italian flavored breadcrumbs, in a large shallow bowl
Olive oil
Marinara sauce - use Barilla, Rao's, or Carbone's if you don't want to make your own
8 ounces mozzarella, freshly shredded
1 cup grated Locatelli or Parmesan cheese
Fresh basil leaves
Dip each plank of eggplant first in egg and then in crumbs to coat and stack on a plate.
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté each eggplant slice until golden on both sides, 2 minutes per side. Place each cooked eggplant slice on paper towels to drain any oil and cool. Repeat until all are cooked.
Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce on bottom of an 8 x 8 inch Pyrex glass baking dish. Arrange a layer of eggplant, sprinkle with mozzarella and Locatelli, add more sauce and repeat with additional layers of eggplant. I like to end with cheese layers. Cover with foil that you have brushed with olive oil or sprayed with PAM so it wont stick to the cheese when baked.
Bake in a 350° oven, for about an hour, until a sharp knife easily pierces center of the eggplant. Allow to cool fifteen minutes before cutting into squares to serve.
Since it is just us two, I layer my eggplant in foil loaf pans, so I can tightly cover one with foil before baking and freeze to use for another meal. I can cook it from frozen for 90 minutes.
