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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.