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Pan-Fried Breaded Eggplant with Tomato Sauce and Crispy Polenta

This recipe for Pan-Fried Breaded Eggplant with Tomato Sauce and Crispy Polenta offers a savory combination of umami-rich flavors. Each element of the dish--the breaded eggplant, the tangy tomato sauce, and the golden crispy polenta topped with Parmesan cheese--contributes to a great balance of textures and tastes.
Maybe serve this up with your favorite cooked green vegetable on the side.

Ingredients

For the Breaded Eggplant:

  • 2 medium-sized eggplants, ( peeled and sliced into ½” thick rounds)
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt, (for salting the eggplant slices)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 whole eggs, (whisked )
  • 2 cups breadcrumbs
  • Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
  • ½ cup vegetable oil, ( for pan-frying)

For the Tomato Sauce:

  • 2 cans (14 oz each) of diced tomatoes
  • 2 cloves garlic, ( finely minced)
  • 1 small onion, (small dice)
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil

For the Crispy Polenta:

  • 1 cup polenta
  • 2.5 cups water
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese, ( grated)
  • 3 Tbsp salted butter
  • Kosher salt & freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions 

  • For the eggplant, salt the rounds lightly with kosher salt.
  • Allow the salted eggplant slices to rest on paper towels and drain out their bitter liquid for roughly 15 minutes.
  • Pat each piece of eggplant dry with paper towels.
  • Season each eggplant slice a bit more Kosher salt and some freshly-ground black pepper.
  • Coat each slice in all-purpose flour. Shake off any excess flour.
  • Whisk together the eggs into a shallow bowl.
  • Dip each piece of floured eggplant in the whisked egg mixture.
  • Coat each piece of dipped eggplant with breadcrumbs, shake off the excess, and set aside for pan-frying.
  • Heat the vegetable oil in a pan suitable for frying over medium heat.
  • Once the oil is hot, but before it is smoking, add the breaded eggplant slices in stages and fry until golden brown on each side.
  • Place the fried eggplants on a paper towel-lined plate to drain off the excess oil.
  • Season with Kosher salt once the eggplant slices come out of the hot oil.
  • For the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
  • Add the chopped onion and minced garlic, and cook over medium heat until they become translucent, stirring frequently.
  • Add the canned diced tomatoes, dried oregano, Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper.
  • Reduce the heat to low, and let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • While the sauce is simmering, prepare the polenta.
  • Bring the water to a boil in a pot and slowly whisk in the polenta.
  • Reduce the heat to low and continue stirring until the polenta becomes thick. This should take about 15-20 minutes.
  • *The polenta will be thicker than your traditional, more soupy polenta mixture.
  • Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese and butter into the polenta until well combined.
  • Spread the polenta in a thin layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and allow it to cool in the fridge.
  • Once the polenta is cooled and firm, cut it into squares or triangles.
  • Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and pan fry the polenta pieces until they are golden and crispy.
  • To assemble the dish, place a few pieces of crispy polenta on a plate, top with a slice of fried eggplant, and spoon some tomato sauce over the top.
  • You can add an extra sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top, if desired.

Notes

In culinary school, they would have you put the sauce on the bottom of the plate, so that the eggplant and polenta stay crispy…but I like the dish to be covered in sauce. 
You can cook the tomato sauce for longer, if you prefer.  I will often add a bit more olive to the sauce as it cooks—the olive oil will emulsify into the sauce and add a more velvety texture to the finished product.