Well, it’s county fair time again here in Northeast Ohio! And other than people watching, the best part of a county fair is the food. Funnel cakes, stromboli, fresh squeezed lemonade, and of course – fried vegetables.
It’s probably a good thing that I haven’t had time to get to a fair this summer – I always want to try all the fabulous fair foods! But I was still craving those fried veggies. So I made my own – healthier – version!
Even though these eggplant, patty pan squash and zucchini slices are baked, they taste like the fried veggies I know and love. Plus, I’ve finally used all my zucchini! (Until I get more on Friday…)
This baked recipe was super easy:
Slice the eggplant, squash, zucchini or whatever you plan to bread and bake. Spray a baking sheet (or two if you have a lot of veggies) with cooking spray. Standard breading recipe – a couple of beaten eggs in one dish and the breading in another. For the breading, I mixed together instant mashed potatoes (I used garlic and parsley potatoes), breadcrumbs and fresh ground black pepper. Dip each veggie slice in the egg, then in the breading. Place on the baking sheet. When all the breaded veggies are on the baking sheet, spray them with the cooking spray.
Bake at 450 degrees for 20 – 30 mins, flipping them after about 10 minutes. They’re done when they’re golden brown and crispy on the outside!
And for anyone eating actual fair food – lucky you! Enjoy!
Lettuce Never Squash Our Love 
I love the idea of the instant mashed potaoes. I have stirred those into soup as a thickener, but never have used them like you did. Looks wonderful. And oh, I so remember the fair food days…..takes me back, and suddenly I smell a horse barn….. 🙂 Sweet Melissa!
It was surprisingly tasty! And I sliced them pretty thick – about 1/2 to 3/4 inch. Apparently either this eggplant is better tasting than the eggplant I’m used to, or I’ve learned to like eggplant more! Or possibly, a little bit of both. 🙂
Yeah, sometimes I miss the Summit County Fair! 4-H is the best…
Those look really good.
Thanks!
Can’t wait to give these a try!
Come and link up to this week’s party when you get a chance. http://inherchucks.com/2012/08/02/whats-in-the-box-37/. Looking forward to seeing you there 🙂
Linked up! Thanks!
We took the littles to the fair on Sunday. They loved the fries and soft pretzels!
That’s awesome! I’m so glad they had a good time.
OK, I am making these tonight! I have never thought to use instant mashed potatoes in a recipe like this. It’s a great idea, Melissa. I used to love watching you in barrel racing at the fair. Those were the good old days……..
I mean you with your horse! You weren’t just out there running around barrels!
You’re hilarious! I’m picturing myself huffing and puffing around the ring….too funny!
If you make these with plain instant mashed potatoes, you might want to add a little garlic powder and/or italian seasoning to the breading mix.
I did a little squash frying of my own last night as I feel exactly the same way about them. Next time, I will try this healthier baked version. Yum.
The patty pan squash is definitely one of my new favorites and it worked well for this. I was really surprised how much these baked veggies tasted like they had been fried!
I couldn’t remember which kind of flavored potatoes you used when I was shopping today, so I bought the sour cream and chive kind. Kim made a delicious stir fry tonight, so I will have to wait till tomorrow to try this……
Oooo, sour cream and chive sounds great! And I bet the stir fry was delicous too!
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