Italian Style Eggplant Parmesan

I found this quite interesting. Real Italian Eggplant Parmesan is not breaded! I had it when I was down in Connecticut and fell in love, all over again, with this great meal! Try it!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 pounds eggplants (about 3 smallish or 2 medium, peeled)
• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)
• ¼ cup tomato paste (give or take)
• 28 ounces crushed tomatoes, preferably the Italian Basil variety
• ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh basil, plus additional basil for garnish
• Freshly grated part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 1 ½ cups, packed).

INSTRUCTIONS:

• To roast the eggplant: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven.
• Line two large rimmed, baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Slice off both rounded ends on one eggplant, Peel, then stand it up on its widest flat side.
• Slice through the eggplant vertically to make long, even slabs ¼- to ½-inch-thick.
• Brush both sides of the eggplant slabs lightly with olive oil (you’ll likely need about ¼ cup oil).
• Arrange them in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle the top sides with a few dashes of salt and pepper.
• Roast until golden and tender, about 20-30 minutes—halfway through baking, rotate the pans 180 degrees and swap their positions (move the pan on lower rack to upper rack, and vice versa).
• The pan on the lower rack might need a few extra minutes in the oven to turn golden. You may need to flip the eggplant.
• Set aside.
• Meanwhile, to make the tomato sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmering.
• Add the onion and green pepper, and a pinch of salt.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very tender and translucent, about 4 to 7 minutes.
• Add the garlic and tomato paste.
• Cook, while stirring, about 1 minute.
• Add the crushed tomatoes, stir to combine, and bring the mixture to a simmer.
• Once simmering, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce has thickened about 15 minutes.
• Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the chopped basil, salt.
• Taste, and add more salt if necessary (I usually add another ¼ teaspoon).
• When you’re ready to assemble, spread about ¾ cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9” square baker.
• Arrange about one-third of the eggplant slices over the sauce, overlapping slightly (cut them to fit, if necessary).
• Spoon another ¾ cup of the sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with ¼ cup mozzarella cheese.
• Arrange about half of the remaining eggplant slices evenly on top.
• Spread another ¾ cup sauce on top and sprinkle with ¼ cup mozzarella cheese.
• Layer the remaining eggplant slices on top and top with ¾ cup sauce (you might have a little leftover) and the remaining mozzarella cheese.
• Evenly sprinkle the Parmesan on top.
• Bake on the lower rack, at 350 degrees, uncovered, until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden about 1 hour.
• Let it cool for at least 15 minutes to give it time to set, then chop and sprinkle additional basil on top.
• Slice with a sharp knife and serve.
• Leftovers keep well, covered and refrigerated, for about 4 days. Reheat before serving.