This eggplant Parmesan is the perfect vegetarian holiday season meal

Few things are as rewarding as making your dinner from scratch. Something about building a dish from the ground up makes it taste 10 times better. This restaurant-style eggplant Parmesan is one of those meals. The flavor of the fried eggplant and delicate marinara sauce will remind you of sunday afternoons cooking with grandma.

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It may seem like a lot of extra work to bread and fry the sliced eggplant, but the end result is entirely worth it. For optimal crispiness and to dull any bitter flavor, be sure to pat the eggplant slices dry before cooking.

After breading the eggplant slices with flour, eggs and bread crumbs, fry them on both sides over medium heat. Then, place the eggplant in a pan and pour a thick layer of sauce over each slice. Sprinkle the top of the dish with cheese and bake for about 20 minutes.

This cheesy and hearty dish is a great way to get the flavor of your favorite Italian dishes, with a healthy twist. Serve the meal alongside more of our best ever holiday recipes.

Restaurant-Style Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients

1 eggplant
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2-1/2 cups seasoned Italian bread crumbs
1-1/2 cup marinara Sauce
1 pound mozzarella cheese

Directions

Wash eggplant well and cut off stem. Cut lengthwise to one-inch slices.

Set up a breading station and coat eggplant slices with flour, eggs, and bread crumbs.

Fry on both sides over medium heat or spread four tablespoons oil on a cookie sheet and bake on 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes on each side.

Place eggplant in 10- by 16-inch pan.

Pour thick layer of sauce (about one third of a cup) over each slice.

Sprinkle cheese.

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.

Courtesy of Nitra Ladies Auxiliary, provided by Kosher.com