3 Cheese Vegetarian Eggplant Parmesan takes about 40 minutes and is a delight. Eggplants, cheese, tomato sauce. Add a little pasta and you will feel like you are in a lovely Italian restaurant.
3 Cheese Eggplant Parmesan is a rich, delightful meal.
I love this easy-to-make 3 Cheese Vegetarian Eggplant Parmesan. The basic recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, Betty Crocker's International Cookbook. I started with Betty Crocker's recipe and modified it for my tastes. The recipe called for garlic salt and I didn't have any; it's not something I ever use. So I substituted garlic powder and a little bit of salt. I also added fresh basil and ¼ cup Feta cheese. The Feta has enough salt and you could leave the added salt out of the recipe.
Because our subscription vegetables from Season's Bounty Farm's weekly CSA (community-sponsored agriculture) included a couple of eggplants, I decided to make one of Don's favorite dishes. It was very tasty.
3 Cheese Vegetarian Eggplant Parmesan is baked in an oblong pan.
I sliced my eggplant in rounds, but Don, the Eggplant Parmesan connoisseur, says that restaurants usually slice it lengthwise. That seems useful to me since there would be a larger flat surface for the flour to adhere to. He also said there is usually more batter on the eggplant. I think most restaurants must dip the eggplant in milk or egg before they put it in the flour. But we liked it the way I made it. It was delicious.
What You Need
I've had my copy of Betty Crocker's cookbook since the 1980s and I still use it frequently. Every recipe I have tried from it is divine and several of my go-to recipes come from it. If you can find one, I suggest you pick it up.
You'll also need a baking dish, measuring cups and spoons, a good chef's knife, a cutting board, and a skillet. Get yourself a complete set of good pans and baking dishes. You'll never be sorry.
3 Cheese Vegetarian Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt (optional)
- 1 medium eggplant (cut into ½-inch slices)
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 24 ounces tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil (chopped or 1 teaspoon dried)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano leaves (or 1 ½ tablespoons fresh, chopped)
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup Feta cheese (crumbled)
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella cheese (cut into small bits)
Instructions
- Mix the flour, garlic powder and salt.
- Dredge the sliced eggplant through the flour mixture.
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a skillet and when hot, fry the eggplant in the oil until golden brown on both sides (turning once).
- Pour half the tomato sauce into lightly greased 13" x 9" baking dish.
- Sprinkle ½ the oregano and basil over the sauce.
- Lay the eggplant over the sauce in a single layer.
- Sprinkle ½ the Parmesan cheese and all the Feta cheese over the eggplant.
- Cover with the remaining sauce.
- Sprinkle the remaining spices over the sauce.
- Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese over the sauce.
- Dot with mozzarella cheese.
- Bake uncovered in 325F degree oven for about 25 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
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