This is a great recipe for the late summer when you still have all these garden vegetables on hand. What on earth are you going to do with them all? Eggplant and tomatoes and squashes, oh my! Well, don’t despair; this recipe will put them to good use. And it is a different twist on the regular old eggplant parmigiana as it has summer squash as a nice addition. In fact, if you don’t like eggplant, as many of you picky folks do not, just use squash. It has a milder flavor and will still taste excellent in this dish. Eggplant is a member of the nightshade family.
Its origins trace back to the South East Asian region of India and modern day Pakistan and was first domesticated there over 4000 years ago. The Eggplant, also known as the Aubergine in Europe was believed by superstitious Europeans to induce insanity and was unaffectionately known as the “Mad Apple” until only a few centuries ago. But don’t worry; it has some benefits too. It has been used in topical creams to treat skin cancer and contains antibacterial and diuretic properties as well. So, if you go mad while eating it, at least you will have nice skin! Also, for you raw food eaters out there, stay away from this one as eggplant is not good raw. It really needs to be cooked to release the bitterness and to make it digestible.
| Eggplant Summer Squash Parmigiana |
- 1 eggplant, peeled, cut into ¼-inch rounds
- 2 zucchini or yellow squash, cut length wise into ¼-inch slices
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten (more if necessary for dredging eggplant)
- 1 ½-cups breadcrumbs (ideally gluten free or sprouted grain or sourdough)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- ¾ cup extra virgin organic olive oil
- 2 ½ cups fresh chopped tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ pound fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
- Salt eggplant and squash slices and let sit for 20 minutes. Wipe or rinse off liquid that accumulates.
- Dip eggplant and squash slices in egg mixture, then in breadcrumbs seasoned with salt and pepper. Place in refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- In a food processor, pulse tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt and pepper until barely pureed.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Brown eggplant and squash in 1/4-inch oil over medium heat in a large skillet in batches until all slices are sautéed. Drain on paper towels. Put a thin layer of tomato sauce into a baking dish and layer eggplant, tomato sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella, alternately. End with mozzarella on top. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil and parmesan.
Looks great .can You offer some recipes ( more simple) for the single person ???>
All of these recipes can be adapted to make less food. Let me know if you have any specific questions about how to make them more simple.
What size summer squash?
Get squash that are on the larger or wider size so they can roughly equal the width of the eggplant.
Cooked this tonite with fresh eggplant, squash and tomatoes & basil from my garden. Alternated the layers of squash & eggplant. It was delish! A tad time consuming, but will definitely do it again. Also used italian bread crumbs, and next time think I will add more garlic, and a touch of oregano.
Hi Kat,
Thank you for trying this recipe. Yes, this one has always been time consuming for me. But the results are definitely worth it. If you doubled the recipe, it would be more worth it! Thanks for tip about bread crumbs and oregano.
Keep in touch,
Amanda
Thanks to milescreekfarm CSA, I was made aware that the summer squash instructions were absent form the post. Editing the recipe with the appropriate changes.