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Loaded Eggplant Parm Fries

Yea, you heard that right

By Alyssa RoselloPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
2

If you've ever made eggplant parmesan before, this is pretty much exactly the same. Except more fun. It's like eggplant parmesan's cooler younger sibling that parties too much.

Not that we're having dinner parties right now but if we were, this would be a great appetizer to serve. Although, if you're quarantining with your big family or a group of friends, serve it like it is a dinner party.

This recipe calls for one medium sized eggplant which can serve probably 4-6 people depending on how hungry you are or if you have any other food to eat. You can serve this with homemade or store bought marinara (my personal favorite is Rao's).

For the breadcrumbs, I used the ones that are already seasoned with Italian seasoning just because that's what I had in my house. If you have the plain breadcrumbs, I'd suggest adding Italian seasoning to them or what it's comprised of. You can make your own Italian seasoning with this blend: 2 TB dried basil, 2 TB dried oregano, 1 TB dried rosemary, 2 TB dried parsley, 1 TB dried thyme, 1 TB red chili flakes, 1 tsp garlic powder.

Obviously, it won't be life altering if you only use the plain breadcrumbs. Still works great just a different taste.

If you're wondering how to cut the eggplant correctly into fry shapes, the best way to do it is to first slice it into rounds. Trim off the ends and cut into medallions 1 inch thick. Once you have all your rounds, then you can go ahead and cut again into baton shapes. Look at the pictures for reference.

You also want to keep the skin on because that helps the everything stay together.

The other trick to these it getting them really crispy. You don't want to overcrowd the tray. Evenly space them apart, so you may need 2 trays for this. If you overcrowd them then they will actually end up steaming rather then getting crisp. The rule actually applies to cooking in general. If you're cooking on the stove top you want to give things space.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium sized eggplant
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs (Italian or plain)
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (plus extra for serving)
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 - 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • marinara sauce, for serving
  • basil, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Lightly coat the paper with oil or spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

Gather 3 shallow bowls. In one whisk the eggs really well until they are broken up. In another bowl, add the flour and about 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. In the last bowl, add the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese and mix.

Cut the eggplant by first trimming the ends. Slice into rounds 1 inch thick. Then, slice each round into batons, the shape of a fry.

Begin dredging eggplant. Dip one fry first in the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumb mixture. Make sure to coat all sides. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Continue with the remaining sides.

Bake eggplant for 10 minutes, flip, then bake another 10 minutes, until crispy. Remove and turn oven to broil. If you used 2 trays, transfer all the fries to one, it's ok if they're stacked on each other. Or, if you have an oven safe dish you want to serve this on, transfer them to that.

Sprinkle on all the mozzarella. I say 1-1/2 cups because it depends how much cheese you want. Broil for 5-10 minutes until cheese is all melted. Keep an eye on these!! The broil can happen really fast if you aren't watching and it could burn.

Remove from oven and top with more parmesan cheese and basil. Serve with marinara sauce.

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