Baked Eggplant Parmigiana garnished with Spinach and Mushrooms

So here's a take on an old classic. I took my dad's recipe for eggplant parmigiana, made it slightly healthier and added a little flair (with the help of Matthew). I don't mean to boast, but this is one mighty scrumptious meal, Matthew couldn't stop saying how delicious it was. So if any of you ladies or gents out there are trying to impress a loved one on this Valentine's Day, I would highly recommend this meal.

What you'll need:

• 1 large eggplant ( cut to desired thickness, organic)
• 1 jar (~24 oz.) of your favorite tomato sauce (I used a vodka sauce, which really made it taste fantastic)
• 2-3 cups of bread crumbs (Italian)
• 2 eggs, whisked with a splash of milk (cage free, organic)
• Cracked red pepper (for seasoning)
• Olive oil
• 1 bag of a 4 cheese Italian blend (or if you have the money, buy Parmesan cheese and mozzarella and shred it up yourself)
• 2 cups of spinach (organic)
• 2 cups of mushrooms (sliced, organic)
• 1 clove of garlic
• Pepper
• 2 leaves of basil

Let's get cooking!

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Have the whisked egg in a small, but deep bowl. Right next to the eggs have the bread crumbs mixed with the cracked red pepper in a spacious bowl, then at the end have a large baking sheet covered with aluminum foil and a little bit of olive oil. This will create a very functional assembly line for breading the eggplant

• Taking one slice of eggplant at a time, dip first in the egg, making sure it is completely covered. Then dip the eggy eggplant into the bread crumbs and cracked red pepper making sure the whole thing is coated evenly, and place it on the baking sheet. Continue this process until all the slices are coated.

• Place the breaded eggplant slices into the oven for about 8 minutes on each side, or until they are crispy brown. My oven is sort of sucky so I had to flip them, if you have a good oven you  may be able to just leave them in there for 16 minutes all together without flipping. (Eggplant parmigiana is usually fried, I bake it as a way to eliminate the use of extra oil and unneeded fats into the meal). 
• Once browned, remove the eggplant from the oven and reduce heat of the oven to 350 degrees. Now we will begin assembling the eggplant parmiagiana. Get an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish and cover the bottom with a thin layer of sauce. Place about four or five breaded eggplant slices on top of the sauce. Coat with cheese and about four pieces of basil, then another layer of sauce. Continue layering until you have used up all the eggplant.

• Place the layered eggplant back into the oven for about ten minutes.
• While the eggplant is in its final stages, heat up a skillet with some olive  oil to about a medium high heat. (This would also be a good time to start cooking some pasta, just boil water and throw in the pasta until desired tenderness)
• Throw in your mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are a darkish brown, then add the spinach. Sprinkle in some pepper as desired. Saute the spinach until it is a deep green, and has shrunk considerably in size. By the time this has cooked your eggplant should be finished. 

• Remove the eggplant from the oven. If serving with pasta (I used linguini noodles) take a scoop of pasta onto a plate, then a few slices of eggplant and finally top with the spinach and mushrooms. 

 Now your meal is ready to enjoy! This meal made enough for Matthew and I to both have hearty servings, plus some left over for the next day.