Family Dinner: Mexican Eggplant Parmesan

Our most recent family dinner had a Mexican theme. Our neighbors brought delicious Mexican rice, another friend brought Sangria (Spanish, not Mexican… but still wonderful) and Dos Equis, and we made Mexican eggplant Parmesan (only minus the Parmesan… because I thought we had some, but were in fact out). I also burned a Mexican cocoa scented candle, so all in all it was a fairly festive evening. I’m coming to the conclusion, however, that tomatoes aren’t very photogenic. But, whatever, they are very tasty-genic.

Don't hate: tasty things come in gross packages, sometimes.

This recipe is roughly adapted from a recipe card I picked up a Wal-Mart a couple of years ago (an unexpected source for such culinary greatness, but I’m okay with it). To make this, you’ll need:

1 C fine dry breadcrumbs
1/2 t salt
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
2 medium (or 1 large) eggplants, peeled and sliced 1/2 in thick
3 eggs
the best spaghetti sauce ever, recipe doubled–1 14oz can of diced tomatoes with green chiles should be added to this sauce recipe to make it a little more Mexican
oil for frying
4 1/2 cups of shredded Mexican/fiesta blend cheese
1 t paprika
1 t chili powder
1 t minced onion
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t garlic powder

Lightly coat your desired 3 qt baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (I’ve had great success in using a dutch oven sprayed with olive oil in an atomizer) and set aside.  In a shallow dish combine the bread crumbs, spices, Parmesan cheese, and salt.  In another shallow dish lightly beat the eggs.  Dip each slice of eggplant in the eggs, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture.  Place on a baking sheet, cover, and chill in the fridge for 30 mins.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large skillet, heat 1/2 C oil over medium-high heat.  Fry the eggplant slices until they’re golden brown (around four to five minutes).   Spread 1/3 of the tomato mixture on the bottom of the prepared baking dish, then top with eggplant slices, then cheese.  Repeat this pattern until the dish is full, making sure that the last layer is sauce.  Reserve some cheese to sprinkle on top at the end.  Bake uncovered for 30-45 minutes, depending on the depth of your dish, until heated through.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese and serve.

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