Recipe for Eggplant Parmigiana

1 large eggplant (about 1.5 lbs.)
2 beaten eggs
1.5 cups cracker crumbs (ground [with a rolling pin] Saltine crackers seasoned with garlic powder, basil, and oregano. (Any type of Italian seasonings you like)

2 cups of Melissa’s spaghetti sauce
1 lb. Havarti cheese, sliced
1 lb. Cheddar cheese, sliced
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Wash eggplant and cut crosswise in ½ inch slices. Dip into beaten egg, coat with seasoned crumbs. Place on platter and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (Sometimes Lee does this the day or night before he’s going to fry it.)

Fry eggplant on both sides until golden. Drain on paper towels.

Spread 1/3 of sauce in 12x8x2 pan. Put a layer of eggplant, then a layer of Havarti and a layer of Parmesan. Repeat, starting with a layer of sauce, then a layer of eggplant, layer of Cheddar, Parmesan sprinkled over all. Repeat layers.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

***Lee makes this in much larger pans. The recipe is very forgiving as far as ingredients go. If you make this one a few times you will have the hang of what the proportions are and then go wild after that! :)***

LEE NOTES:
My slavish attention to recipes notwithstanding, I don’t pay attention to much of the above. I spoon the sauce right out of the jar, just slightly covering the bottom of the pan or dish. I’ve cooled the fried eggplant to the point I don’t get 3rd degree burns when I put the first layer of eggplant on the bottom of the pan. I put a single layer of sliced Havarti or Sharp Cheddar cheese over the warm/hot eggplant, spoon a thin layer of sauce over the cheese layer, sprinkle a layer of fresh grated Parmesan over the sauce, and repeat the process: 1) Sauce 2) Fried Eggplant 3) Cheese (alternating the layers-Cheddar/Havarti/Cheddar 4) Sauce 5) Parmesan. All there is to it. I fill a large pan in just that sequence, ending with steps 4 & 5. I may have 3-6 layers of eggplant by the time my pan is full to the top. It will usually weigh about 10-12 lbs., net of the pan. I leave it in the oven until it has a nice color on top. It takes longer than 30 minutes for the ones I make—maybe 45-55 minutes?

After it’s out of the oven and cooled, I put the pan(s) in the fridge overnight. Next morn, I take a butter knife and cut all the way through to the bottom of the pan, in squares—about a dozen in a 10-12 pounder, and slide the knife all around the edge of the pan, just to loosen it a bit. I cover the pan with plastic wrap and put the pan in the freezer for the day, or overnight.

When I’m ready to wrap it, I hold the pan upside down under warm running water, being sure my fingers are on the surface of the E.P., just in case it gives way—it doesn’t. After a minute or so, I drop the pan; pan side up, on a large bread board and the whole thing should pop loose. I then use a butter knife to cut/punch through along the scored lines that I can barely make out.
It breaks apart pretty easily. Double wrap the pieces in plastic wrap, put in a zip lock bag, and a year or two later, it’s impossible to tell if it was made yesterday or today. There’s no quicker, easier, tastier dinner come mid-January!