I wrote the other day about leftover eggplant that needed to be cooked to avoid throwing it out. My daughters’ aren’t big fans of eggplant, and Ratatouille didn’t interest anyone in the least. I ended up slicing the eggplant, dredging it in eggs, and coating with breadcrumbs to prepare it for frying in olive oil. I served the eggplant along side some Ravioli that I usually purchase at Aldi. The Ravioli is stuffed with ricotta and tastes fresh once it’s been cooked.
The eggplant turned out great! I salted, peppered, and put garlic powder on the eggplant after slicing, and then dredged the eggplant through eggs, and then in breadcrumbs. While I was preparing the eggplant, I allowed the oil to heat up so that it would be ready for frying. I’ve learned when frying to let the oil heat up completely before putting any food in or I will end up with greasy almost inedible food.
We served the ravioli with leftover marinara sauce. Since this is the second time we’ve used the marinara sauce for leftovers it is difficult to put a price on what it cost, but I will estimate it at $1.00. We used one whole eggplant to feed four of us, but one eggplant would easily feed five people. My three year old does eat the ravioli without marinara, but will not touch eggplant.
1 32 oz bag Ravioli ($2.99)
1 1/2 cups homemade marinara sauce ($1.00)
4 oz Parmesan Cheese ($1.20)
1 Eggplant ($1.80)
1/2 cup bread crumbs ($0.20)
2 medium eggs ($0.30)
8 tablespoons regular Olive Oil: ($1.20)
1 teaspoon kosher salt: ($0.10)
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper: ($0.10)
1 teaspoon garlic powder ($.20)
TOTAL: $9.09
Recipe: Pour eight tablespoons of olive oil in the pan on medium high heat. Dip seasoned eggplant (salt, pepper, garlic powder) in beaten eggs, then dredge in breadcrumbs. Move breaded eggplant to frying pan, cooking on both sides until light brown and crispy.
Bring large pot of water to boil and place frozen ravioli into boiling water. Cook ravioli three to four minutes, or until they begin to float which indicates they are ready.