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Crispy Baked Eggplant Slices – perfectly breaded, spiced and BAKED! A wonderful side to go along with LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace Spicy Penne Arrabbiata!
We’ve been finding ourselves more and more at Target these days, and as we were strolling through the aisles going down memory lane, yet another time (my husband lived right next to a Target when he was at grad school and developed a weird emotional connection to all Target stores) , we found ourselves in the Frozen dinner aisle containing meals that my dear husband survived on for 2 years!
And lo and behold, a SALE! LEAN CUISINE® meals at $1.99 a pop! This was one of those times when walking down someone else’s memory lane really paid me off! And unlike other frozen microwave dinners that usually repulse me, these made me salivate! Ah the long line-up of deliciousness even had me reeling there a bit! Not to mention how the words ‘No GMO’, ‘Organic’ and ‘No preservatives’ sang a siren song to me. They even have several gluten-free options, people!
So, I braved the freezer cold, used my husband’s nostalgia to my advantage and grabbed as many boxes as I could! The prospect of not having to cook many a dinner/lunch on days when I get too carried away with work to keep track of time, well, I’m not gonna lie, it was very exciting!
Our freezer has no more room, because like a squirrel, I saved up for the winter! Well, actually, there’s so much stuffed in there, it may carry us through spring! And so should you! Because the $1.99 sale is limited time only folks (1/1 – 1/31), so rush to Target and raid the shelves! Go! Go! Go!
And to get past the guilt of not having to cook several meals this season, I always have a lovely side on the ready – like these Crispy Baked Eggplant Slices, a recipe that never fails to impress every time I make it! Breaded to perfection, fragrant with dried herbs, lightly spiced and crisp with a molten center plus BAKED! It’s really everything, not to mention easy!! Use zipper bgas to bread and dip and save yourself a cleanup later!
Slice up an eggplant into 1/2″ slices and salt them on both sides and let them sweat for a bit – wash and drain on paper towels to dry them up completely!
Bread them, spray/brush with a little oil and bake until crisp!
Note: The breadcrumbs are the lifeline of these eggplants. So, if you cannot find Roasted Garlic and Herb Breadcrumbs, combine 1/2 cup regular breadcrumbs + 1 tsp dried Italian herb seasoning + 1/4 tsp garlic powder + 1/4 tsp salt.
And don’t forget to heat up a delicious box of LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace meals! Check out their collection – it is diverse, flavorful and quite long, even if you’re a vegetarian or can’t process gluten or are looking for high protein options! Pasta, Stir-fry, Rice, Meat or Vegetables, it’s all there!
When you make these gorgeous Crispy Baked Eggplant Slices (which I really think you SHOULD!), be sure to SHARE YOUR PHOTOS with me through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I’d love to see what you cook from here and will share it with pride on my social media feeds.
DOROTHY POLIDORO says
What is water slurry?
Tina Dawson says
Water and cornflour together forms a slurry that would either thicken a gravy or in this case bond the breadcrumbs to the eggplant.
Elaine Cipriano says
I make eggplant parm all the time. I peel the eggplant first. (Isn’t the skin bitter?)
…..it’s hard for me to wrap my head around “crispy” and “baked” in the same sentence.
BUT I will try this.
Tina Dawson says
I have never had a case of bitterness in eggplant – have you tried salting the slices first? And if you’ve never had crispy eggplant, then you’re in for a treat! Good luck! 🙂
GiGi Eats says
I ADORE eggplant like this! Utterly adore it!! Mmmmm! I haven’t had eggplant in a hot minute though. I must change that!
Tina Dawson says
Yes, you absolutely must Gigi! 🙂
Janette@CulinaryGinger.com says
The penne looks so homemade, I love the direction Lean Cuisine has taken and those eggplant slices look delicious.
Tina Dawson says
I know! It’s super delicious too, considering all I did was pop it in the microwave and transfer to a bowl! Thanks Janette!
Luci's Morsels says
Don’t we all have some sort of weird attachment to target? I do. I also know that grad school does weird things to people!!! Loving that you’re adding a homemade part to a freezer meal – totally something I would do!
Tina Dawson says
Thanks Luci!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
We love crispy eggplant patties and used to buy them frozen. These days I don’t find them that easily. This is a great recipe and perfect for our family since we don’t use eggs. I am definitely trying this out to make some eggplant parmigiana soon 🙂
Tina Dawson says
Yaay! Thanks a lot Sandhya! I find that whenever breading is required, cornflour works just as good as egg does!
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says
My husband and I are huge fans of eggplant in any form, especially baked, so yummy!
Tina Dawson says
Thanks Emily!
Allison - Celebrating Sweets says
Your egglplant looks delicious! I haven’t had a Lean Cuisine in years; I’ll have to pick some up next time I’m in Target.
Tina Dawson says
Please do! It’s really, really good!
mary says
Please tell me what “corn flour” is. I see it had a + after it, but I can’t find the + in this posting.
Tina Dawson says
Hey Mary, cornflour /cornstarch is powdered corn that looks a lot like all-purpose flour and is used as a thickener in soups and gravies. You should be able to find it in all grocery stores. The ‘+’ simply denotes adding water (cornflour + water) to form a paste. If you can’t find cornstarch/cornflour, please use a whisked egg.
Ben G says
My freezer looks the same way right now – completely stuffed with Lean Cuisine meals! #Client
Tina Dawson says
Ha ha! Same pinch!