Italian Baked Okra Spears

Name: Italian Baked Okra Spears
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4-6 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 lb fresh okra, spears; 1 cup italian crouton, crushed finely; 2 ounces tomato paste; 3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese; 1 teaspoon roasted garlic granules; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 tablespoon italian herbs; 1/4 teaspoon salt

Submitted by StarFire22

"Tired of the same ole, same ole ways of cooking okra, I decided to try something different and it was a zero-leftover hit with family and friends. I cooked it two ways - one was coated with bread crumbs and the other was not and that produced two really different textures and tastes out of the deal. The best thing was it passed the "slime test" for somebody who hates okra because they hate anything slimy or slippery in their mouth. I got a thumbs up from this person who usually refuses to eat okra. Regarding the Italian herb mixture, I used a refrigerated Italian Herb Paste that I found in the produce section rather than a dry herb seasoning mix. I cooked it until I could smell it then added 5 minutes being careful not to overcook the okra. Enjoy!"

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Ready In:: 40mins
Ingredients:: 10
Serves:: 4-6

ingredients

1 lb fresh okra, spears
1 cup italian crouton, crushed finely
2 ounces tomato paste
3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
¹⁄₄ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon roasted garlic granules
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon italian herbs
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt

directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Rinse okra and set aside to dry.
Place Italian croutons in food processor and process to a fine consistency.
Empty crumbs into a small bowl and set aside.
In a medium size bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients together, mixing thoroughly until you have a thick paste
Stir the okra into the paste mixture turning gently until all the okra has clumps of the paste clinging to it. It will not have a smooth even coating, rather clumps of coating.
One by one, place 1/2 of the coated okra on one side of a foal lined cookie sheet.
Take the other 1/2 of the paste coated okra and roll it gently in the breadcrumbs.
Place this okra on the other half of the foal lined cookie sheet until the sheet is full.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until tomato paste mixture has caramelized and okra has an ever so slight crispiness left to it. Do not overcook or it will be gummy and tough.
Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
Enjoy as a messy appetizer finger food or as a side dish.