And is it still "baked" eggplant parm if you breaded and olive-oil fried the eggplant before you baked it? So many questions, so few answers. Whether this is a Baked Eggplant Parm or a Fried Eggplant Pecorino-Romano I will leave open to personal interpretation, but either way it's delicious. Baked pasta of any kind is my most comforting of comfort foods, but because this dish was so veggie-ful I got to tell myself that it was a little bit good for me too. Self-indulgent much?
I used Barilla Veggie Spaghetti and a chunky, roasted garlic tomato sauce as a beautiful base for my crispy fried eggplant medallions. I boiled the pasta and pre-heated the oven to 400 while I set up my breading and frying station like my middle name was Tennessee (PS: story checks out). A dip in egg, followed by a gentle pat in Italian herb seasoned bread crumbs and the eggplant wheels were ready to roll.
Then I Extra Virgin Olive Oiled up my cast iron pan (a glistening coat of oil to cover the bottom was enough to do the job) and fried them golden and crispy (2-3 minutes per side, at least for the thicker slices). My skillet is a bit bigger than the biggest eye on my stove, so frying evenly is tricky if not impossible. I just rotate the slices to the best of my abilities to ensure that all sides get a little attention, and hope for the best.
While the eggplant was frying, I drained my pasta and put it into a medium-sized baking dish. I mixed my jarred pasta sauce into the hot pasta, then layered the top with the crispy eggplant, topped with more garlic and tomato sauce, and generously covered the whole thing with a blend of shredded mozzarella and provolone (oh, the melt and satisfying stringiness of that cheese when it's baked!).
I sprinkled a bit of Italian seasoning and a drizzle of oil over top, then put the dish into the oven and let it do its thing for about 20 minutes, rotating it once when I thought it seemed to be browning a bit more quickly on one side than the other. When I pulled it out of the oven it was bubbling, browned perfection, and I let it rest for a few minutes (aka took 20 pictures of it like the sad, barely-millennial I am) before diving in. I topped it with a handful of Pecorino-Romano and black pepper, and served it with a little spinach salad on the side.
So... Fried Eggplant Pecorino? Baked Eggplant Parm? Either way, it's a gooey, crispy mess of veggies and cheese best eaten on the couch in front of whatever Real Housewives franchise is on tonight.