Gluten-Free Fried Eggplant Parmesan Spaghtetti

Gluten-Free Fried Eggplant Parmesan Spaghetti---

Eggplant is fresh and in season. There is something so delicious about eggplant, pasta, and tomato sauce. However, in my home everyone is a carnivore (except me) and wants meat sauce with pasta instead of tomato sauce.

We made this dish with meat sauce and my family said the mixture of fried,crusty eggplant was perfect with the hearty, robust meat sauce. Since everyone is so picky about combinations of pasta/sauce/cheese, we came up with our own version, served separate to "make your own" combo. The eggplant is fried, put on the spaghetti, topped with meat sauce, and then garnished with cheese. Yum!

Let's make some fried eggplant Parmesan spaghetti!

INGREDIENTS:

meat sauce ingredients:

3 lbs. lean ground beef
2 large Vidalia onions, diced
67 oz. Traditional Italian Sauce (we used Prego it is specified gluten-free)
12 oz. tomato paste
2 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. pepper

fried eggplant ingredients:

3 medium sized eggplant
1 cup gluten-free bread crumbs (we used 4 Cs)
2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour (we used Bisquick)
1 cup milk
4 eggs
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

6 oz. finely shredded Parmesan cheese to garnish
olive oil for frying
2 (12 oz) gluten-free spaghetti ( we used Ronzoni)

DIRECTIONS

Trim the stems from eggplants, leave unpeeled, cut crosswise into about 1/2 inch thick. Arrange the eggplant in a large platter and sprinkle with salt. Set aside for about 30 minutes while you make the meat sauce.

Make the sauce: In a large pot on medium to high heat, add onions, hamburger, salt, and pepper. Cook until hamburger is browned and onions are translucent. Add the tomato sauce and Italian sauce, simmer over a medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes. While sauce is simmering, fry eggplant and cook the pasta until al dente.

In a medium pot of boiling water, add spaghetti and cook according to directions (we like al dente).

Fry the eggplant: Add olive oil about half way in a large frying pan on medium to high heat.
In two bowls: 1) whisk eggs and milk; 2) whisk breadcrumbs, flour, salt, and pepper.

Dredge eggplant first through the egg mixture, and then dredge into the flour mixture.

Add a single layer of eggplant to hot oil, brown on one side, then turn over until golden brown on the other side. Remove and place on plate lined with paper towels to drain the oil.