Day 46: Eggplant Parmesan

This was another first-timer for us.  I mean, we LOVE chicken parmesan and have it on a pretty regular basis.  But honestly, we're not huge eggplant fans.  Randy and I both like the idea of eating more vegetarian meals.  However, neither one of us really like beans, lentils, or eggplant.  Mushrooms are okay.  Take all of those ingredients out of the vegetarian meal pool, and our options are limited.  That's one reason we don't feel obligated to COMMIT to having a vegetarian meal EVERY single week.  We do re-try things every so often because we realize that tastes can change.  So even though we don't like eggplant much, I figured, covered in sauce and cheese--how bad can it be?  And it was great!!!

The plan:

Boil a pot of water so it's pasta-ready.  Set a small saucepan with spaghetti sauce to simmer on the stove.  Wash and slice an eggplant.  Set up 2 shallow bowls: 1 with 2 eggs and a little water and salt and pepper, the other with seasoned breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and salt/pepper.  Heat a grill pan on the stove over medium-high heat and drizzle with olive oil.
Once the water is boiling, salt it liberally and drop the pasta.  Then start the eggplant.  Dip the slices in the egg, then the breadcrumbs.  Place on the grill pan and flip once dark brown grill marks appear.  Once done, transfer all the slices to a baking sheet.  Pour sauce over the cooked eggplant, and place slices of fresh mozzarella cheese on top. Place under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese bubbles and starts to brown.
Serve with pasta, extra sauce, and extra parmesan cheese!