Eggplant Parmesan

When I am craving comfort food, I lean towards cheesy, saucy, belly-warming foods. For me, that has always been eggplant parmesan. It is also my go-to dish to make as a treat for me or when I have guests coming over as eggplant parmesan can easily transform into an elegant main dish for entertaining. Serve it with a side of saucy noodles or a great side salad and you have yourself a tasty, elegant, and also belly-warming dish!

For today's recipe, I am sharing my IBS-friendly version of eggplant parmesan complete with instructions on my homemade marinara sauce. This sauce makes a big batch so you can half the recipe or store the rest in the fridge for use with another recipe. You can totally use your favorite store-bought marinara sauce as well.

This recipe is a bit more involved with multiple steps but relatively straightforward. First, we make the sauce, then we prepare the eggplant slices, and finally, we layer it all together with lots of cheese! The final step is to bake in the oven until the cheese melts and starts to brown. You can't go wrong with this dish!

Serves 4
Serving size 1
Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 60 minutes

Ingredients for eggplant parmesan:

• 2 tbsp garlic oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 bay leaves
• 28 oz crushed canned tomatoes
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 3 tsp sugar
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup water
• 1 medium eggplant sliced
• 1 cup vegetable oil for frying
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 12 slices of preferred cheese
• Handful of chopped parsley

Directions for eggplant parmesan:

1. Wash and slice eggplants. Layout slices in a single layer and salt them liberally. After 30 minutes, wipe off released moisture and excess salt on eggplant slices with a paper towel.
2. While eggplant is prepping, heat up garlic oil and butter on medium heat.
3. Add bay leaves and crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, sugar, salt, pepper and water.
4. Bring this mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce thickens and oil becomes visible on top of the sauce. Turn off the heat.
5. In the meantime, season cornstarch with salt and pepper to taste. Toss eggplant slices with corn starch. Fry eggplant slices in batches on medium heat until all the eggplant is crispy and fried. Drain on paper towels.
6. In a 8x8 baking dish, spread half to one cup of marinara sauce. Place one layer of fried eggplants and cover lightly with marinara sauce. Add sliced or grated cheese of choice. Then add another layer of eggplant, sauce and cheese. Keep repeating until all the eggplant is used up.
7. Top off the dish with more cheese and bake at 400°F until the cheese has melted and has started to brown. Remove from oven and garnish with chopped parsley if desired.
8. Let the dish rest for ten minutes or so before slicing and serving. Serve as is or with a simple side salad and some crusty bread!