Roasted Eggplant with Parmesan

There's a little Italian in all of us. And while spaghetti and meatballs may be the go-to Italian dish, I decided on something a little more earthy and unique.

I've never tried eggplant before and this recipe took my eggplant virginity.

Oh, what a scandalous recipe this is!

Roasted Eggplant with Parmesan

You'll need a few simple ingredients:
- 1 eggplant
- olive oil
- 1 can tomato sauce (pre-made spaghetti sauce works just fine, I used a tomato basil sauce from Trader Joe's)
- 1 1/2 tbs. minced chives
- 1 1/2 tbs. minced parsley
- 6 oz. heavy cream
- 2 oz. grated parmesan
- salt and pepper to taste

I have to give credit to the Farm House Table blog. They have a slightly larger version of this recipe. But since it's just me and my Rachel Ray cooking ware, I cut it down to a petite version.

Like me!

And Rachel Ray.

How tall is she anyway?

Say hello to my Oster blender in the background.

Slice the eggplant about a quarter inch thick. Eggplant is slightly spongy and tastes a bit like cucumber when it's raw. It'll be pure deliciousness once it's cooked through! Something like mushrooms... I looove 'shrooms. The legal kind that is.

Get the skillet out and turn on the stove to medium-high heat. Add the eggplants a few at a time, season with salt and pepper and cook through with olive oil until slightly browned. Flip and repeat!

Notice this saucepan is part of the Rachel Ray cooking ware I mentioned. Also notice that the white plastic spoon, however, is not. That's just good ol' 50 cent kitchen ware inherited to me. Meanwhile, you'll want to get started with some of that heavy cream, parmesan, chives/parsley mix. This is the good stuff that goes on the eggplant! Stir all ingredients to incorporate over medium heat. Keep stirring, you don't want the cheese to clump up.

Yuck. Clump cheese.

Let the sauce come together and reduce to a simmer on low heat.

Get a dish (I used a round casserole dish) and grease with olive oil. Start by layering a few roasted eggplants at the bottom. Take a couple of spoonfuls of tomato sauce and spread a thin layer on top of the eggplant. Sprinkle some parmesan on top. Repeat until all eggplant slices have been used.

I have a small point-and-click camera. Sometimes the pictures turn out a bit yellow. I'm now accepting donation's to the Fancy Camera Fund. While you ponder over how much money you'll be donating to such a wonderful cause, notice how I poured my cheese sauce over the entire eggplant/tomato sauce/parmesan layers. This is important as this sauce combines the layers into creamy goodness.

Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Check to make sure it ends up like the picture :). I ate this as a main course and chopped up the leftovers with more spaghetti sauce and mixed it in with some linguine. It's the Italian recipe that keeps on giving. Gracie!