Eggplant Parmesan Bites

Eggplant parmesan is one of my favorite dishes. However, it is not typically a lunch or snack food. This afternoon, I was craving eggplant parmesan but did not want to eat a heavy meal in the early afternoon. So I came up with this simple appetizer. Pieces of eggplant coated in Italian breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese with a spicy marinara sauce on the side. Perfect for snacking and sharing with friends.  It's super easy and takes only a few minutes to make. So what are you waiting for? Let's get started!

Ingedients

• Two medium-sized eggplants
• 2 teaspoons of parsley
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• 2 cups Italian breadcrumbs or panko
• 2 cups vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons chopped red peppers
• 2 eggs

Instructions

1. Wash and peel eggplants. Dice eggplant into medium-sized squares. Season eggplant with pepper and salt to taste.   Put eggplant pieces into colander and drain
2. Add flour into a bowl. Add eggs into another bowl and mix well. Add parmesan cheese and panko into a third bowl and mix well.
3. Dip eggplant squares into the flour, then the eggs, and finally the parmesan/panko mix.
4. Put vegetable oil into a saucepan and heat until about 375 degrees Fahrenheit,
5. Put eggplant squares into oil and fry. Remove eggplant squares from oil when they appear brown on all sides.
6. Put fried eggplant pieces aside and continue with the next batch until finished. Sprinkle extra parmesan cheese on the finished eggplant bites.
7. Heat marinara sauce and serve on the side as a dipping sauce.
8. Add chopped red peppers and parsley to sauce if desired.
9. Enjoy!