I love pasta! And this is one of my absolute favorite pasta dishes. I tend to make more with zucchini when I have it fresh from the garden, but love the eggplant version, too. Allow at least an hour to make this recipe, and a bit longer if using homemade sauce. I'm including my all purpose spaghetti sauce as well.
Zucchini (or Eggplant) Parmesan
2-3 zucchini (about 8 inches long), cut in half, then into 1/2 inch thick lengthwise slices
or 1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut like the zucchini
1 cup flour
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
16 ounces spaghetti sauce
olive oil
3/4 pound spaghetti, cook while browning the vegetables (10 minutes for al dente)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Line up three medium bowls on your workspace. Beat the egg in one bowl. Add milk and mix well. Put the flour in second bowl and the breadcrumbs in the third bowl. Dredge zucchini or eggplant slices in flour. Tap to remove excess flour, then dip both sides in egg mixture. Transfer to breadcrumbs and pat to coat well.
Preheat a large nonstick frying pan over medium to medium high for two minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Brown breaded zucchini or eggplant slices on both sides, transferring to a medium casserole dish when done. Continue until all slices are browned, adding more olive oil to the pan as needed.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese over zucchini or eggplant. Pour 1/2 the spaghetti sauce over the cheese. Top with cooked spaghetti. Pour remaining sauce over spaghetti and sprinkled on the rest of the mozzarella. Top with the grated Parmesan. Bake 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Makes 6-8 servings.
Spaghetti Sauce
16 ounces (1 pint) tomato puree
1-2 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
dash of black pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Mix all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring often. Freezes well.
Whip up or buy a loaf of Italian bread and enjoy!
Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With a Kick!
I've never thought of using zucchini instead, but that is a fantastic idea!!
ReplyDeleteI do love chicken parm, but I've never made eggplant (or, obviously, zucchini) parm. I should try it, though. It sounds delicious!!
Very tasty! You can also shorten the prep time by eliminating the baking stage, but the baking does ensure the zucchini or eggplant is cooked through.
ReplyDeleteThis gives you another recipe for eggplant month, too!