How To Preserve Eggplant

Eggplant is plentiful this time of year with the harvesting of the garden done, it is time to preserve all the veggies. There is nothing more satisfying than opening up your pantry or freezer to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Here I will show you how I prep Eggplant to make Eggplant Parmesian. These are prepared ahead of time to use at a later date, especially easy for those nights when you want to make a quick and easy meal.

Fresh Eggplant

Wash and cut the ends off the eggplant. Slice in half, then cut into your desired thickness. I prefer a little over 1/2" slices as this is the perfect size to cook evenly.

Dippd in Egg

Beat 2 - 3 eggs in a bowl and coat each side with the egg.

Dip in breadcrumbs

Mix together some seasoned breadcrumbs, panko, salt and pepper and extra Italian seasoning if you prefer a little stronger flavor. Coat each side througouhly after you have dipped in egg wash first.

Both sides coated with breadcrumbs

Fry until golden

Drizzle Olive Oil into your frying pan and let it heat up before adding the eggplant. You want the breading to crisp and not get to soggy. Cook on medium heat setting until brown, turn and continue until both sides are to your liking.

You only want to brown the eggplant, not cook it thouroughly. You will finish cooking it through the night you choose to enjoy your creation.

Cooling down

After you have fried to golden brown, place the eggplant onto paper towels to absorb any extra oil.

Ready for the Freezer

Place your eggplant onto a cookie tray, you are going to place this into your freezer.

Freezing the Eggplant

Freeze the eggplant thouroughly, I usually let mine stay in the freezer for approximately 4 hours before I remove them to package. When the are completely frozen it is time to put them into the final storing containers.

I use Ziploc freezer bags for this step. Put a date on the bag so you know how long you have had it, very important, don't hold it to memory...lol. Place the eggplant in single layers if you can into the freezer bags. Depending on how many pieces you normally would have for one meal will determine how many you choose to put into each bag.

Think leftovers too! They are great the next day for lunch in an Italian bread sandwich...oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

Ready for the oven

When your ready to enjoy your eggplant just toss some homemade or your favorite tomato sauce into the bottom of a oven safe pan. Place the eggplant (thaw a little on the counter before cooking) on top of the sauce, top with some Mozzarella cheese and place into a preheated oven at 350 degrees F. Cook until tender and the cheese is lightly browned.

Serve with salad

Can anyone say, Delicioso!

Thank you for stopping by to view my how to preserve Eggplant tutorial, I hope you enjoyed the photos.

Until next time, this is Sunscape
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