I love eggplant…but I admit I’m picky about it. I always find it hard to prepare at home and I don’t seem to enjoy it as much as the eggplant I have when I’m eating out at restaurants. I was able to change that today with this eggplant Parm dip, yes, a dip.
I’m not going to lie to you, today was tough. We had no power all day (it just came back on and that’s why I am able to post tonight), it was my night to host Sunday night dinner and I had to cancel. Hard to prepare a meal for 8 with no power. When the power came back on I was able to put together at least one of the dinner components I was planning on, and this was our dinner tonight along with a side of apple slices. Let me tell you though, I didn’t need anything else but this dip. This dip is eggplant prepared at home and I loved it! The only thing missing was the Anderson’s…until next week. I may be making this every time I see eggplant in the share now! Take a look at how simple it is to put this together
![image](https://i0.wp.com/www.csa365.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/image-70.jpeg?resize=300%2C224&ssl=1)
Add a head of garlic with the top cut off to reveal just a bit of the garlic clove. Splash on a little olive oil. Place into a preheated 375 degree oven.
![image](https://i0.wp.com/www.csa365.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/image-71.jpeg?resize=300%2C224&ssl=1)
Bake for about 45 minutes or until all of the eggplant is very tender and the garlic is fragrant and golden in color.
![image](https://i0.wp.com/www.csa365.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/image-72.jpeg?resize=300%2C224&ssl=1)
Scoop out the flesh of the eggplant and place it into a vitamin or blender. Squeeze the roasted garlic into the vitamin as well, discard the papery outsides.
![image](https://i0.wp.com/www.csa365.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/image-73.jpeg?resize=300%2C224&ssl=1)
Add some salt, pepper, and herbs to the blender. This would be a perfect place for fresh basil but I didn’t have any on hand so I went with dried basil, as well as thyme.
![image](https://i0.wp.com/www.csa365.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/image-75.jpeg?resize=300%2C224&ssl=1)
Give it a quick zip in the vitamix. Add 3/4-1 cup of marinara sauce and zip it up again until smooth.
![image](https://i0.wp.com/www.csa365.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/image-78.jpeg?resize=300%2C224&ssl=1)
Cover the top with mozzerella and Parmesan cheese, then top it with bread crumbs (gf in my house). Put it under the broiler to melt the cheese and create a nice crisp texture on top.
The result is an ooey gooey dip that tastes exactly like eggplant Parm. My one criticism is that I found it to be a bit too garlicky. When I make it again, and I will make it again, I would use half of the head of roasted garlic, saving the other half for possibly another batch of my creamy garlic salad dressing! Hope you guys give this one a try. Enjoy!