You should’ve seen the size of the eggplant I got at the Farmer’s Market. Easily a foot long, as big as my niece’s head, and all for one crisp dollar bill. I couldn’t pass it up!I spent the day at work truly looking forward to dinner. It’s a pain in the butt to make and clean up for, but eggplant parmigiana is one of my favorite things.

There are lots of methods for making this dish, but I love a nice crispy coating on my eggplant, serving the rounds on the side and saucing it with each bite rather than coating the fried pieces in sauce and letting them get soggy. I also prefer a nice thick cut of eggplant, which gives the meal more substance than thinly sliced pieces. That said, I’m not sure there are any shortcut secrets about Eggplant Parmigiana; other than using a quality sauce (like Bertolli’s Premium Pasta Sauces) that don’t require a lot of doctoring to get going, it’s kind of a hurry up and wait dish.

But while there aren’t many shortcuts available for such a meal, I do have some QUICK TIPS.

• Make of mix of about 50% flavored breadcrumbs and 50% quality grated parmesan. And don’t you dare use the cheese from a green can. Spend the extra buck and get the good stuff in a plastic tub or, better yet, stop by an Italian deli if you have one nearby.
• Use a light oil like vegetable or sunflower oil for frying the eggplant. Olive oil taints the flavor and gets a little bitter.
• The jury’s out on salting eggplant and letting it sit so the juices can drain. I’ve made it both ways and find the “drained” eggplant is simply, well, saltier.

The best part about this dish? The price.

$1 for 1 humungous eggplant
$1 for Bertolli Premium Pasta Sauce with coupon
$1 for Aldi Whole Wheat Spaghetti
>$2 for bread crumbs, oil parmesan cheese, 2 eggs for egg wash, and herbs

Under $5 to feed three with at least three servings of leftovers. Whoever says eating cheap means eating crap is out of their minds.