Standing at the stove and frying thin slices of eggplant can be a deal breaker for the orthotactically challenged. This sheet pan version uses THICK slices of eggplant and an extra large preheated sheet pan to get a wonderful crispy yet tender eggplant parm. To be honest, we didn’t actually put parmesan in the dish as Karma reacts to aged cheeses, but there was plenty for folks to put on after the fact and you can certainly add romano or parmesan with the breadcrumbs. We also made our own penny-pinching-panko by toasting fresh breadcrumbs, they were both light and fluffy mixed with the prefect crunchy bits that gave the feeling of a fancy crumb.
Truth is not everyone in our multigen home like eggplant. But it’s super easy to pop some breaded chicken (or veggie chicken) patties in another roasting tray so that everyone has something they enjoy for dinner. I never really understand people who say they “aren’t a short order cook” and insist that everyone eat the meal that is being prepared. Especially when it take very little effort to make minor changes to a dish so that no one feels left out. Almost every night we make two entrees. When we make mac n’ cheese we set some pasta aside to have it their way. When we make french toast, we make a batch without cinnamon. We split our bread stuffing three ways and make a batch without celery and one without onions. When it’s easy to do, there’s simply no reason not to respect other people’s preferences.
Sheet Pan Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
Instructions
Penny Wise Panko
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Take about a half loaf of sandwich bread (we used whole wheat) and place it in your food processor until you have a soft crumb. Line a baking tray with parchment and spread the bread in a thin layer. But not too thin, you want some of the crumb to remain soft. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until the top is all brown and toasty. Pour into a large bowl by lifting the parchment paper and season with your spices.
Prepare Eggplant
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One of the old Italian women in our family of origin use to claim that you had to peel the skin from eggplants in order to avoid insanity or illness. We opted to peel our eggplants tonight .. no reason ;) Slice the eggplant into thick medallions at least a half inch wide. Let sit on paper towels to remove some of the excess moisture.
Breading
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Melt butter and add olive oil until you have about a half cup (or more depending on the size of your sheet pan) and spread along the bottom of a parchment lined baking sheet.
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Beat your eggs and add salt and pepper to taste. Go ahead and add parmesan to your breadcrumbs as well if you want at this stage.
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Dip your eggplant in the egg, then coat both sides in your fresh toasted crumb mixture. Arrange on your buttered/oiled pan.
Bake at 425°
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Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Then take them out and flip each medallion. This is also when we put in our two other trays of breaded chicken patties and veggie chicken for the folks not enjoying eggplant tonight.
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Bake for another 15 minutes. Then take them out and spoon on your marinara and top with grated cheese. Return to the oven until the sauce has heated through and the cheese is bubbly.
