Eggplant Parmesan

I like eating eggplant whenever I go out, but have never tried cooking with it.  I decided I would give it a shot this weekend and try making eggplant parmesan.

Most of the recipes I found online required frying and from the reviews eggplant absorbs a lot of the oil so when I found this oven baked recipe I was excited to try it out.  It was a winner and the family loved it.  I added some pasta and my meat sauce right on top.

Eggplant Parmesan

1 large eggplant peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1 egg, beaten with 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup parm cheese
1 tbl garlic powder
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, part skim

Directions
Place the eggplant in a single layer on a kitchen towel. Generously sprinkle salt on top and place another towel on top. Allow to sit for 30 min (this pulls out excess liquid as well as the bitterness).
Lightly rinse eggplant of salt and pat dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix together breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and garlic powder in a shallow bowl. Place eggplant in egg-water wash, then in breadcrumb mixture. Place on cookie sheet generously coated with cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 min, turning halfway or until browned and crispy.

Then either layer eggplant and sauce in a baking dish or put a spoonful of sauce on each round, top with cheese and bake until melted.  It was pretty yummy and with such a simple recipe, I'll be making it again.