The recipe of the day, for all you shelter in place certified chefs, is one that takes a lot of time and patience, eggplant parmigiana. All the time invested in creating this Southern Italian dish for your lunch or dinner menu is well worth it when you serve up hearty spoonfuls of layers of creamy eggplant, tomato sauce and gooey cheese. Eggplant parmigiana is one of those great dinner recipes because it is comfort food dish that we all love and deserve to indulge in every once in a while. This dinner recipe calls for ground beef but if you are vegetarian, as I know many of you are, just follow the recipe and exclude the meat. A meat substitute isn’t necessary. In fact, I understand that eggplant parmigiana is traditionally made without meat. I like to add ground beef into the sauce and while you do not need a substitute if you’re vegetarian you could use a plant based protein if you want that added layer of texture.

Eggplant Parmigiana Sauce Ingredients/Instructions

• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

• 3/4 pound ground beef

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 cup red wine

• 1 28 ounce can peeled and crushed tomato

• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

• kosher salt, to taste

Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat and add olive oil. When the oil starts to smoke add the ground beef. Using a rubber spatula, break up the meat, allowing it to brown and caramelize. Add garlic and salt. Cook for 2 more minutes. Add in the tomato sauce and stir, first bringing to a boil then lower to a simmer. Rinse cans out with the red wine and add the wine to the pan. Add Italian seasoning and continue cooking for 20 minutes.

Eggplant Parmigiana, Eggplant Ingredients and Preparation

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

• kosher salt

• black pepper

• 2 whole Italian eggplant

• light olive oil

Wash and cut eggplant into 1 inch rounds. Salt both sides of each piece and lay on large sheet tray for one hour. Place in colander and rinse. Pat dry with a paper towel. Set aside. In a large shallow container combine the flour, salt, black pepper and Italian seasoning. Dredge each round in the flour mix and set aside on a sheet tray. Heat up 1 large skillet over high heat and add olive oil. When oil starts to smoke add eggplant slices and lower heat. *NOTE: Eggplant is a like a sponge and absorbs a lot of oil. So do not be surprised if you need to add more oil.

Cook on one side for 2 minutes until light golden brown and flip over on the other side and repeat. Eggplant should have a little give but should not be too soft. Reserve cooked eggplant on a sheet tray.

Eggplant Parmigiana, Putting it Together

• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, hand pulled into small pieces

• chopped Italian parsley

• parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.

To begin building the eggplant parmigiana, spread a large ladle full of the meat sauce into a casserole dish (9×13-inch). Next, put down a single layer of eggplant, making sure that the slices are tight together, approximately 9-10 slices. Continue the next layer of sauce making sure to get it in between the eggplant. Next, add an even layer of mozzarella cheese. Repeat for another layer completing the top with a light layer of sauce and cheese. Bake the eggplant parmigiana in the oven for 20 minutes just until the eggplant parmigiana is hot. See photos below.

Serve with chopped parsley and freshly grated parmesan.