Eggplant Parmesan

Parmesan Eggplant Italian

Parmesan Eggplant Italian

Ingredients

• 1 pound eggplant (1 med)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cup cooked pinto beans or chickp
• 1 cup sliced or diced onions
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 ounce to 4oz soft goat’s milk chee
• 3 med zucchini
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 cup tomato sauce
• bread crumbs (optional)

Method

1. Peel and Slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1/2 (1/4) slabs
2. Brush both sides of all pieces with olive oil
3. Arrange (in 9×13″ pan) on a cookie sheet
4. Bake at 400F for 15 min
5. Set aside
6. Place pinto beans or chick-peas (I used the chick peas, next time I’d mash all of them as the whole pea texture was not exactly what I had in mind) into a bowl or dish
7. Mash about half of them with a fork
8. Set aside
9. In a large frying pan, saute the onions in 1T oil until soft
10. Add the mushrooms (I used a 4 1/2oz can, drained) and garlic
11. Cook until the liquid that the mushrooms have released has evaporated
12. Set aside
13. Crumble the cheese, set aside
14. Slice the zucchini lengthwise into 1/4 slabs
15. Steam for 7 min, then drain on a cotton towel
16. Set aside
17. To assemble, oil a 9×13″ baking dish
18. Arrange the eggplant slices in 1 layer in the bottom
19. Cover with the beans
20. Sprinkle beans with half the oregano (another substitution – baby started crying so since Italian seasoning was the only one close at hand used that instead of oregano – next time I’ll try it with just oregano as suggested
21. Then spread on the mushroom mixture, and top it with a layer of cheese
22. Sprinkle cheese with remaining oregano
23. Layer on the zucchini, then cover with tomato sauce (here I used Ragu garden with mushroom) and crumbs
24. Bake at 350F for 45 min
25. Allow to stand for 10 min before cutting into squares and serving
26. Note: You can assemble the casserole and refrigerate until ready to bake
27. Bake at 350F for 35 min
28. If you omit the cheese, serve with a nut or seed dessert for added protein