Egg Plant That Is Actually Edible: Egg Plant Parmigiana With Prosciutto

We inherited an egg plant from our friends, the Meisingers. The problem, though, is my wife HATES egg plant. I made it my goal to create a recipe that would make her eat her words...and the egg plant dish (final product pictured above).

Hatred of egg plant must run in my wife's family, because when I put a note on Facebook asking for recipes, my sister-in-law Jessica said, and I quote, "Arrange on a flat surface with a silver bowl and fresh-cut flowers, other fruits and vegetables optional. Photograph. Enjoy!" The photo above is for you, Jessica.

INGREDIENTS:

1 package prosciutto

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 small package frozen spinach, thawed

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 large egg plant, cut into 1/4 inch slices and peeled

3 large eggs, beaten

1 cup Italian style bread crumbs

1/4 -1/2 cup olive oil

1-2 cups spaghetti sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Add the following to  a medium sized bowl: 1 cup ricotta cheese;

1 small package frozen spinach, thawed;1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 teaspoon dried basil; 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano; 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon minced garlic.

Mix together and set aside.

Here is where the egg plant comes in. (I LOVE egg plant purple. Some day I want a chair upholstered in fabric that is egg plant purple.)

 Cut off both ends of the egg plant and throw them away.

Slice the egg plant lengthwise (about 1/4 inch thick).

Every recipe I read for egg plant, and I mean EVERY recipe, they kept the skin on...Ew! Are they kidding? I recommend cutting it off. 

Beat three eggs in a pie plate. Set aside. 

Next comes the Italian style bread crumbs. Here is the what the packaging looks like. I use the Progresso brand. 

Pour one cup of the bread crumbs into another pie plate. Set aside. 

Heat about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of olive oil in a frying pan over medium, low heat. 

Dip the egg plant (both sides) in the egg then...

in the bread crumbs (both sides).

Now fry both sides in the olive oil until each is golden brown. Once done, pat off the oil with a paper towel. 

Next, spread the spinach mixture on the fried egg plant.

Next, lay prosciutto on top of that. (I didn't have any, so I used cooked bacon. I do NOT recommend this. It's not as good, in my opinion.) 

Spread on a layer of spaghetti sauce.

I just used prego. (I hate Ragu, in case you are wondering. If I use a jarred sauce I use Prego, Newman's Own or Bertolli.)

Now, layer with slices of Mozzarella cheese. 

Cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 350 degress. (I cooked mine in my grill with two burners on low.)

Now you have a delicious egg plant dish. One that is actually edible. You can eat it plain like in this photo, or...

on top of noodles. We like ours on top of noodles.  

Well, my wife did not really get into my egg plant dish, but at least she didn't hate it. I thought it was pretty good.