Working at the farmers’ market in historic, downtown Fernandina Beach I find myself trying new recipes all of the time. I have made Chicken Parmasian several times over the years, but I couldn’t recall making it with eggplant… so of course, I had to try it.

… and it was awesome!!!

Here is the recipe I started with:

Ingredients

Olive oil, for baking sheets
2 large eggs
3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus 2 tablespoons for topping
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
coarse salt
pepper
2 large eggplants, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds (2 1/2 pounds total)
6 cups chunky tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

But because I am a fan of working smarter, not harder, here are the ingredients I used:

Olive oil, for baking sheets
2 large eggs
3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus 2 tablespoons for topping
2 large eggplants, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds (2 1/2 pounds total)
2 Large jars of store-bought chunky spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

-Preheat oven to 375°F
-Brush 2 baking sheets with oil; set aside.
-In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and 2 tablespoons water.
-In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup Parmesan, oregano, and basil; season with salt and pepper.
-Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating well; place on baking sheets.
-Bake until golden brown on bottom, 20 to 25 minutes.
-Turn slices; continue baking until browned on other side, 20 to 25 minutes more.
-Remove from oven; raise oven heat to 400°F.
-Spread 2 cups sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
-Arrange half the eggplant in dish; cover with 2 cups sauce, then 1/2 cup mozzarella.

-Repeat with remaining eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan.
-Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes.
-Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

You could easily double the recipe and feed a small Army, or put one in the freezer for another day. Either way, this Eggplant Parmesian was a wonderful meal served up with a tossed salad loaded with fresh finds from the farmers’ market in Fernandina Beach.

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