Japanese Eggplant Parmesan with Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce
September 13th, 2012 | Author: Alysha
This week has been flying by. Tomorrow Brenton and I get to go on a Milwaukee Food Tour – The Pizza Bus Tour! I have to admit, my Milwaukee pizza knowledge doesn’t extend much beyond Ian’s, Topper’s, Crisp and Transfer. I’ve taken the Wauwatosa Tour and the Bloody Mary Brunch Tour before and they both were fabulous. I can’t wait to see where we head tomorrow. The only question is what to wear. I was thinking about wearing a new blouse from BCBG, but knowing me, I will most definitely get pizza sauce on it…and probably some wine!
On Wednesday, and article I’ve been working on for a few weeks was finally published. As a nut butter lover, I wanted to devote a whole cover story to the stuff, including flavored peanut butters, health butters and more. My favorite part though was the recipe testing. I made a Thai Noodle Dish with Spicy Peanut Sauce that was too good for words. I also interviewed Julie from PB Fingers on her favorite ways to use the stuff (and she even gave me her Almond Butter Granola recipe to share with Milwaukee Journal Sentinel readers). You can check out the digital version plus the recipes I included on JSOnline.com.
Tonight Brenton did an impromptu mini photo shoot of Oliver and I in our living room.
For some reason, I think Oliver is wayyy cuter in person. The photos don’t do him justice!
On the culinary side of life, we’ve been eating pretty darn good lately. In a household of two, anything we make tends to last us a few meals. We made this Japanese eggplant parmesan with homemade tomato sauce a few days ago, and we ate it for three nights in a row. When it comes to eating a dish this good, I did not mind at all.
Brigitt (whose blog I completely LOVE, btw), created this slow-cooker pasta sauce, which I used as the base of my Japanese eggplant parmesan. It is my go-to recipe, and I’ve made it a handful of times (which is a lot for me!). Instead of frying the eggplant, you bake it in the oven. Per Brigitt’s suggestion, I used the tomatoes I froze last year. I thawed them slightly, which worked out perfectly (I just broke up the tomatoes further after an hour and then we took an immersion blender to the sauce when it finished cooking). Of course, you can substitute regular eggplant. I happen to love Japanese eggplant — it’s probably the fun, bright purple color.
Japanese Eggplant Parmesan
Serves 7
3 Japanese eggplant, sliced one-inch thick
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
6 cups slow cooker pasta sauce (can substitute any pasta sauce)
3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Slice the eggplant (throwing away the ends). Sprinkle lightly with salt and let it sweat for 30 minutes. Pat try with a paper towel.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 7 minutes on each side.
In a 9×13-inch baking dish, spread 3 cups of pasta sauce on the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Spread remaining sauce over eggplant and sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on top. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Enjoy!
Question: What dishes do you tend to make over and over? Do you think your pet looks cuter in person? I feel like I’m completely alone on this one, so I’d love to know if you guys feel the same way!
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This looks wonderful! As a vegetarian, I really love the thick meaty-ness of eggplant. Baking it is a really great idea. Thank you for sharing :)
Alex @ Brain, Body, Because recently posted..Balance.
They were definitely super meaty, which made me not miss the real meat at all!
Alysha recently posted..Japanese Eggplant Parmesan with Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce
Thanks for the shout out! You are too sweet!! This looks amazing–awesome photos! Now I’m definitely going to have to try the sauce with your eggplant dish. Glad you liked the sauce!
Brigitt @ Cook With B recently posted..Broccoli Cheese Soup
So jealous, I still need to go on even one food tour! How adorable is Oliver?? So cute!!
Laurie @ Love, Laugh, Laurie recently posted..Bears vs. Packers
Where do you find all these tours to go on!? I’m so jealous. A pizza tour sounds heavenly. And Oliver is SO cute in pictures!!! What are you talking about haha! Sadie *hates* having her picture taken so I feel like most pictures of her turn out pretty poor since she wont look at the camera. And when she does, she gets red-eye so she looks like a devil dog haha. Either the devil zombie eyes or her nose looks gigantic bc shes trying to smell the camera. goofball. but shes SO CUTE in person! Anyways, you’re not alone. On another note- Your nut butter article was awesome & this eggplant recipe looks fantastic!
Carol @ Lucky Zucca recently posted..Character Strengths: Applications to Daily Life
Looks yummy! Thanks for sharing :)
Courtney recently posted..Photos From Today
YUM!!! This looks delicious! I have a ton of homemade marinara sauce to use up too… :)
Brittney @ Brittney Breathing recently posted..Back To Reality
Olive is SUPER CUTE!!! I love him. And I love the slow cooker!
Corrie Anne recently posted..Breakfast in Bed!
As much as I love eggplant parm, I’ve never made it! Adding it to the list. :)
Toppers……I love that place.
emily (a nutritionist eats) recently posted..one year
The photos of this dish are incredible!!! I want to reach right through the screen with a fork!! If only…
I never thought to try pasta sauce in a slow cooker but it’s really smart. Also, I don’t think I have told you already, I really love the new look of the site!!! And, as always, you look beautiful in the pics!! I am off to read your nut butter article because I am a sucker for nut butter :)
Alissa N recently posted..Chocolate Covered Frozen Bananas
That is such a compliment coming from you, Alissa because you photos are absolutely amazing!
Alysha recently posted..Race Dreams