Eggplant Parmesan with Spaghetti Squash

I had a very bad experience cooking eggplant once, and to be honest, I have avoided it like the plague for years. Recently, I was inspired by a friend to give eggplant a second chance, and tonight was a success! I think the trick is to bake, grill, or fry it before actually dressing the vegetable up to cook. I suppose the only way that the eggplant could have been any better is if it were breaded and deep fried, but hey, you win some, you lose some! Fair warning about the amount of ingredients that I used... I sorta "Rachel Ray'd" it, and didn't measure anything. As long as your eggplants are covered in sauce, and then covered in cheese, you really can't go wrong with this awesome vegetarian dish!

Ingredients

For spaghetti squash:

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tsp. basil (or other desired seasoning)

For eggplant:

• 1 eggplant, sliced in ~1/2 inch thick slices
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• 1 cup tomato sauce (I used Classico Tomato and Basil.. I'm a fan of this brand because there aren't any added sugars)
• 6-8 oz shredded mozarella cheese (I used shredded mozarellan and provolone)
• 3-4 oz shredded parmesan cheese
• Italian seasoning to taste

Instructions

For spaghetti squash:

• Preheat oven to 375 F
• Take a fork and pierce the spaghetti squash a few times.
• Place in a baking dish in the oven for 1.5 hours (I only cooked mine for 1 hour, and my squash was still a little crunchy.. so give it the full 1.5 hours)
• When the squash is tender, remove from oven. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, melt 2 tbsp. of butter in a pot, and add 2 cloves of crushed garlic.
• Slice squash in half, and discard center with the seeds. 
• Scrape the spaghetti squash flesh with a fork, creating long strands--Add these to the melted butter and garlic mixture, and saute.
• Add dried herbs of your choice (I used basil).

For eggplant:

• Preheat oven to 375 F (your spaghetti squash will already be cooking at this temperature)
• Slice eggplant into ~1/2 inch thick slices
• Season slices with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil.
• Heat frying pan to medium-high heat, cooking slices of eggplant until slightly brown on each side.
• Place these slices in a single layer on a 9x13 baking pan (these can also be layered in a smaller baking pan between sauce and cheese)
• Season with italian seasoning.
• Top the eggplant slices with spoonfuls of tomato sauce.
• Spring a layer of mozarella cheese, followed by a layer of Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in oven for about a half hour, or until the cheese just begins to brown.
• Serve over spaghetti squash.
• Top with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.