McKenzie Gentry

  This morning is one of those times where I am still sporting the man's PJ's and trying to get my life in order.
 This week Daniel has had a wild work schedule and sleep hasn't been something we've had a lot of.

When life is busy I am often tempted to pick meals that require as little prep time as possible and quick cleanup. However, occasionally I enjoy doing special meals for the two of us.

Sunday evening I wanted to try a new recipe and have dinner on our back deck.
I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen and I strive for all of our meals to be budget friendly. I found an eggplant for 99 cents and I made eggplant parmesan for the first time.

 Recipe

• 1 large eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces 
• 2 eggs, beaten with a fork
• 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs (sundried tomato or plain)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (25-ounce) jar pasta sauce (roasted vegetable or any variety)*
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven with a baking sheet inside to 375°F. Coat eggplant slices with beaten egg, then bread with panko crumbs. Spread oil on hot baking sheet and place eggplant slices on it in a single layer. Bake 15 minutes, flip and bake another 10 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 475°F. In an 8x10-inch ovenproof dish, layer pasta sauce, then eggplant, and top with cheeses. Repeat, finishing with cheese. Bake until the cheese melts and turns golden in spots, about 15 minutes.

mozzarella

We both really enjoyed this recipe and it was very inexpensive! Yay for #meatlessmeals.

If you posted a new recipe recently, please comment and tell me about it!

Until next time...

mckenzie elizabeth