Let’s call this Butternut Squash Eggplant Parmesan recipe a dish of indecision. The fall season is upon us, and I have a hankering to make a large dish of eggplant parmesan. However, butternut squash is now in the markets. So maybe butternut squash parm is the answer? I could not decide. So the answer is to throw them both into one dish.
When the butternut beauties come out this time of year, I buy and roast a few. Then, I use the flesh in soups. Some I freeze. It’s my fall tradition. This year, I wanted to do something different. So I married them to my eggplant parm yen, so here you have both deliciousness on one place!
So there are two schools of thought on how to add fresh eggplant to a Parmesan dish. The first is to slice the eggplant, coat it with olive oil, season it with salt and pepper, and roast it in the oven. The second is to give it the schnitzel treatment. This is to coat the slices in flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs, and fry them in oil before adding them to the dish. Again, I could not decide, so I used both methods for this Butternut Squash Eggplant Parmesan recipe.
First, I roasted them in the oven. However, I was sad about not having the crunch of breadcrumbs, so I went the extra step and fried them as well. Using Panko crumbs provides such a great texture. I highly recommend you do so. However, you don’t have to follow the recipe exactly. Pick one method or the other and go for it.
Additionally, you can use good-quality store-bought tomato sauce for this Butternut Squash Eggplant Parmesan. I made my own. However, save time by cracking open a jar.
Butternut Squash Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1 lb butternut squash
- 1 lb eggplant
- Olive oil for brushing and frying
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 28 oz whole tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1.5 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- 1.5 lbs Mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups shaved Parmesan Cheese
- Basil for garnish
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 400°F
-
Place the whole butternut squash on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
-
Bake for 25 minutes until it starts to soften.
-
Remove from oven and let cool.
-
Cut the eggplant into round slices.
-
Brush both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
-
Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
-
Bake for 15 minutes. Flip the slices and bake for another 15 minutes.
-
Remove from oven and let cool.
-
When the squash is cool enough to handle, peel, de-seed, and cut into round slices.
-
Lay them on the baking sheet. Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper.
-
Bake for 10-15 minutes until tender but not mushy. They should still hold their shape.
-
Remove from oven and let cool.
-
Puree the tomatoes in a food processor.
-
Peel and mince the garlic cloves.
-
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pot.
-
Add the garlic and stir until it becomes fragrant.
-
Add the tomatoes and paste and bring to a boil.
-
Season with salt, pepper, sugar, oregano, and chili flakes.
-
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
-
Stir in the honey. cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
-
Beat the eggs with a fork.
-
Arrange the eggs, panko, and flour on separate flat dishes.
-
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet.
-
Coat the eggplant and squash slices in flour.
-
Then dip them in egg and dredge them in panko.
-
Cook in the oil until crispy.
-
Spread sauce on the bottom of a large casserole dish.
-
Layer the eggplant and squash slices on top to cover the sauce.
-
Cover with slices of mozzarella.
-
Repeat, then top with the rest of the sauce and distribute the parmesan cheese.
-
Bake for 30 minutes at 400°F.
-
Garnish with basil and serve in the pan.
So, do you like this Butternut Squash Eggplant Parmesan? Then also check out some of these other delicious recipes:
CREAMY BUTTERNUT SQUASH HONEY SOUP
BUTTERNUT SQUASH HAZELNUT TART
BUTTERNUT SQUASH GROUND BEEF CASSEROLE
