I am really trying to create a wide variety of meals during the week for my family; chicken, beef, fish and vegetables. Tonight was a vegetable night.  My husband was teasing me asking if we were going vegetarian, due to no meat in the meal.  I tried to explain that instead of Chicken that is fried for this recipe I would be doing a baked eggplant and it would be healthier for us and taste great.  I mean come on; when have I not produced a tasty meal.  (He is all smiles and loves to tease me) Baking the eggplant instead of frying does not take away from the flavor of the dish one bit. As a matter of fact even though it is much better for you this way, if done right you would be hard pressed to really see a difference.  It is really tasty and crisp just like frying it. When buying eggplant find the smaller firm ones which have the sweetest taste.. so even though you think you’re getting more for your money by buying a large one, the small ones taste less bitter. Also a lot of the time with the larger ones you can get brown spots that need to be removed. 

I added the sliced tomato and onion to greatly round out the dish.  It was certainly a great meal, and of course my husband loved it!

You will need 1 large tomato sliced

1 onion sliced

1 or 2 small eggplants

Italian seasoned bread crumbs

2 eggs beaten

Olive oil

Salt pepper

Spaghetti sauce

Mozzarella and parmesan cheese

1 medium spaghetti squash

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

I cut the eggplant into smaller pieces for us so they would fit better in the dish.

Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes on each side. You want them to brown nicely.

While they are cooking slice the onion and throw in a microwave safe bowl with some oil salt and pepper.  Cook for 2 minutes until soft.

Cut the squash in half drizzle with oil and salt and pepper. Cook in the microwave for ten minutes. Remove and using a fork scrap the squash into a bowl. Season additionally and set aside.

 

In a 9×13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce top with sliced tomatoes and onions. Cover with more sauce and cheese repeat ending with cheese on top. Sprinkle basil on top. I neglected to get basil and it still was very good.  I do however like to use fresh herbs as they add such a great pop to most dishes.

 

Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve over the squash and enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! If you should want to get in touch with me please feel free to email me at LauralovingLife@Hotmail.com

Bon Appétit

LauraLovingLife

 

Life is too short to use prepackaged items all the time. Explore and enjoy fresh as often as possible. I can’t wait to start making my own pasta!

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