This is completely off-topic for this blog. It is also the first recipe I have ever posted. However, I think the meal is so tasty and so easy that I want to share it! A little background first.

  • I love eggplant.
  • I find eggplant hard to cook.
  • When frying it in a pan I can’t get that nice creaminess and it also soaks up oil like crazy.
  • I love eggplant parmesan (eggplant parmigiana).
  • Eggplant parmesan too much work – breading, frying, then assembling and baking.

So, this is my incredibly quick and incredibly delicious “mock eggplant parmesan”. The recipe is super easy and well actually you don’t even need a recipe. Just follow the photos! It is very forgiving with respect to quantities, measurements, cooking times and temperatures.

Step 1: Wash eggplant, cut in half and roast them in the oven cut side down. I used 4 medium eggplants for the 3 of us (we love eggplant!). I usually set the oven at about 200 C or about 390 F for about 40 minutes. The eggplant are done when you can smell them, they are a bit wrinkly and when you push on them and they are soft.

Step 2: Cut the roasted eggplant into slices.

Step 3: Place the eggplant skin side down in a shallow baking dish. Any shape, any size will do.

Step 4: Slather the eggplant with your favorite spaghetti sauce. Any kind of sauce will do but I used a simple tomato basil. I recommend a sauce with not too many other flavors as to not to compete with the eggplant!

Step 5: Add cheese. We like mozzarella so we use mozzarella even though it is not traditional. I also sprinkle a little grated parmesan on top to add a bit of the traditional flavor.

Step 6: Bake in the oven. Since all the elements are already cooked, this is really just to warm everything up together (since the sauce came from a jar) and also to melt the cheese. It doesn’t take long.

Step 7: Enjoy. Last night we had it with pasta, but you can have any sides that you usually eat with eggplant parmesan.