Eggplant Parmigiana (with Ground Chuck)

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 lb ground chuck
• 1 can 1 lb 1 oz Italian tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can 6 oz tomato paste
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 1 1/2 pounds large eggplant
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• ½ cup dry bread crumbs
• 1¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 1 pkg 8 oz mozzarella cheese, sliced

Method

1. In hot oil in a large skillet, saute the onion, garlic and chuck until the meat is no longer red, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, sugar and water. Bring to boiling. Reduce the heat; simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Wash the eggplant; do not peel. Cut crosswise into slices 1/4 inch thick. In a pie plate, combine the eggs with 1 tablespoon water and mix well. On a sheet of waxed paper, combine the bread crumbs with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; mix well.
3. Dip the eggplant slices into the egg mixture, coating well. Then dip into the crumb mixture, coating evenly. Saute the eggplant slices, a few at a time, in 1 tablespoon hot oil until golden brown and crisp on both sides. Add more oil as needed.
4. Arrange half the eggplant slices in the bottom of the prepared dish. Sprinkle with half of the remaining Parmesan cheese. Top with half the mozzarella cheese. Cover with half the tomato sauce. Arrange the remaining eggplant slices over the tomato sauce. Cover with the rest of the Parmesan, tomato sauce and mozzarella.
5. Bake, uncovered, 25 minutes, or until the mozzarella is melted and slightly browned.

Notes

Current Inc. recipe card (1986). Marked "Excellent." Yield: makes 6 servings. A meat version of eggplant parmigiana; a meatless variant appears under Vegetables.

Original card

The recipe above was transcribed from this scan of Vera’s original card.

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