Name: Fried Eggplant with Arugula Caprese Salad
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 small eggplants or 1 large; 1 cup cornstarch; 2 eggs, beaten; 1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs; 8 oz mozzarella pearls (or chopped mozzarella); 2 pints cherry tomatoes; 1/4 cup olive oil; 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar; 1/4 cup chopped basil; salt and pepper to taste; Arugula, for serving; vegetable oil, for frying

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Who loves eggplant? This combination of Fried Eggplant with Arugula Caprese Salad is perfect for summer! Also, the salad can be put together in just a few minutes while the eggplant is frying and you are good to go.

How to fry the eggplant:

I prefer to peel my eggplant, however either way you like your eggplant will work for this dish. To start, prep the eggplant by peeling (if desired) and slicing into 1/4″ pieces. Then, before you set up to bread the eggplant, begin to heat your oil in a large pan. I like to use my shorter pasta pot for this so that the oil doesn’t end up all over my stove. Heat about 1/2- 1″ of oil over medium heat in your pan.

To bread the eggplant, coat in cornstarch (for extra crispiness), then the beaten eggs, and finally Italian bread crumbs. Then, fry the eggplant in the oil for about 2-3 minutes on each side. The oil will be hot enough if it starts to bubble immediately when you add a slice of eggplant. Don’t add too many slices at a time because it will drop the temperature of the oil and they won’t cook quickly. Also, this will allow more oil to be absorbed making the eggplant taste oily. Let the eggplant cool on a plate with paper towels to absorb any extra oil.

Make the Arugula Caprese Salad:

While waiting in between batches of eggplant, combine your mozzarella pearls, tomatoes, basil, vinegar and olive oil. Then, let sit and marinate. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve the tomato mixture on top of a bed of arugula alongside the fried eggplant and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy our Fried Eggplant with Arugula Caprese Salad! If you are looking for more vegetarian recipes here are some of our favorites: Forbidden Rice and Beans, Basil Parmesan Risotto, Warm Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad, Strawberry Smoothie Bowl, Carrot Ginger Soup, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chickpea Blondies, Crock Pot Pasta Sauce, Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas, Three Bean Salsa and Almond Mandarin Quinoa Salad. For a full list of vegetarian recipes, search vegetarian in the search bar!

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