Crispy Baked Eggplant with Marinara

This recipe for baked eggplant is a treasure- yes they're breaded, but they are baked and amazing and relatively guilt-free. If you make them right the outside is perfectly crispy and the inside practically melts in your mouth. Whip them up in an hour and you can dazzle your friends (or eat an entire eggplant's worth yourself, I won't tell).

This is a great side dish, but I often eat it as a meal. You can also use this method of salting and breading the eggplant (which turns out wonderfully) to make eggplant parmesan. Also good on a salad if you're in to that stuff.

Crispy Baked Eggplant 
(serves 2-3)
adapted from Almost Italian

Ingredients

1 large eggplant
Salt (enough to salt the eggplant and season the eggs)
3 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1-2 cups of panko bread crumbs (I usually just cover the plate and add more as needed)
Olive oil
Black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Cut the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices. I like mine a little thicker, you can also get away with 1/4 inch if you want them crispier. 

2. Layer the slices on a large dinner plate like you would stack cookies, covering each layer generously with salt. This is a little freaky the first time you do it but don't be stingy with the salt- you'll wash it off later. Put a bowl or second dinner plate over the layered eggplant and weight with something heavy, like a teapot or cast iron skillet. Let sit for 20 mins.

3. Drizzle olive oil on a large baking sheet and set aside. Preheat oven to 475°

4. After 20 mins, put the eggplant in a colander and rinse all the salt off. Lay on a paper towel to dry and place to the side for a few minutes.

5. Mix the salt and pepper with the eggs and whisk in a shallow bowl. Prepare a plate or bowl with flour and another with the breadcrumbs. I like to line up my ingredients in an assembly line- flour, egg, panko, baking sheet.

6. Take a slice of eggplant, cover it in flour, tapping the excess off. Dip into the egg mixture on both sides, using your hand or a fork (can get messy) and then press into the panko breadcrumbs on both sides. Place on baking tray and repeat. 

7. When all of your eggplant is breaded and on the tray, drizzle with olive oil and place in oven. Bake for 20 minutes, turning them over halfway through.

8. Take out and serve immediately with marinara sauce. Can be stored for 2-3 days but fair warning they won't be as crispy! Enjoy!