Eggplant Parmesan with Goat Cheese

So here's the deal...tomorrow is Valentines Day...needless to say I don't even know why it exists. Now don't go thinking that I am totally anti-love. I am actually all for love but who decided that we should really show our loved ones that we "really" love them on a designated day? Come on! haha I love my husband every second of everyday and I would do the same thing with him on February 14th and on August 23rd. Go out to eat....see a movie...give little gifts. But how I really show my love is through food and by cooking for him. I cook/bake him a meal every night (ok almost every night) but on special occasions I will bust out the big guns and fix him up something real special. So here it is folks, my Valentines Dinner for my love, best friend, and side kick. And yes it's a day early just in spite of not doing it on V-day ;)

Eggplant Parmesan has always been my  favorite. Every Italian restaurant that I go to I always look for it on their menu. Well I think that I can make it just as good now and with a ton less fat!

1. Start with your sauce first. It has to simmer for 25 minutes giving you plenty of time to get the eggplant ready and baked. First you need to dice your onion and throw it in a pan with some olive oil and cook it until it is transparent. Then add the crushed tomato, sugar, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Simmer for 25 minutes or until your eggplant is done baking.

Cover with a splash guard and not a lid. You don't want it to burn on the bottom with a lid on but you don't want tomato juice to be splashing all over the place either! So a light cover over it is perfect!

2. Now with your eggplant. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees first. Then take your eggplant and cut it into thin pieces. About 1/4 inch thick. I don't use the ends because they are too small but if you want to make it go farther you can definitely get a ton of pieces from just one eggplant!

3. Next, create your dipping stations. I only ended up using 2 eggs. I always set out more than I think I will use and then just add as I go instead of just starting with a ton and wasting a lot in the end. So crack 2 eggs and whisk them together really well in one bowl and in another bowl combine your Panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and a little bit of pepper.

4. Dip each eggplant slice into the egg first and then make sure each side has a nice amount of bread crumbs and cheese on both sides. I kind of smashed a lot on there myself instead of just lightly laying it in the bowl.

5. Transfer each eggplant slice to a pan of hot oil and cook each side for about one minute or two. Only flip once. Then transfer the slices to a paper towel to drain the oil off.

6. Arrange the eggplant on a baking sheet and spread your goat cheese on top. Then place the other half on top. Put in oven for 10 minutes to get the cheese hot and melted a little bit. After the 10 minutes I put my oven on broil for about 3-5 minutes. Watch carefully so that the tops don't burn!

7. Lastly, arrange your plate! Place a little bit of sauce on bottom and then an eggplant and then a little bit of sauce on top. My husband would have loved some angel hair pasta to go under it but I made sauteed mushrooms and bread instead. 

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 25 for sauce

                  10 for eggplant

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

Olive oil for onions

1/3 cup chopped white onion

3 cups canned crushed tomatoes in rich puree (one 28-ounce can)

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. pepper for sauce

1 cup Panko bread crumbs or dry bread crumbs of choice

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. pepper for bread crumbs

2 eggs whisked

Vegetable oil for frying eggplant

1 eggplant cut 1/4 inch thick

One package of Goat Cheese

Our dinner with oil and balsamic vinegar in middle to dip our bread in! Real Italian I know haha