Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Eggplant Parm



I know what your thinking . . . Eggplant? Yes, it is health food, but not ALL health food is disgusting, as this recipe proves. The picture doesn't do it justice. Oven frying the eggplant slices makes a delicious dish that has only 9 grams of fat - instead of 20 or more. The original recipe came from vegetarian times, but I've changed a few things for our tastes. Another thing I love about eggplant is that it is great for cooking on a budget. Healthy, inexpensive, and delicious! If you love Olive Garden's Eggplant Parmesiagna, this one's for you.

Serves 6
  • 3 large egg whites
  • 1 cup fine dry bread crumbs - I used Italian seasoned
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese - or more to taste
  • 2 medium eggplants, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds - I used one large eggplant
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
  • 3 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 and a half cups prepared marinara sauce
  • 3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese - or more to taste
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat two baking sheets (I only used one) and a 9x13inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Whisk egg whites with 3 Tbs. water in bowl until frothy. Combine bread-crumbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste in shallow dish.
Dip eggplant slices into egg whites, then coat with breadcrumb mixture and arrange on baking sheet(s).
3. Bake until golden; turn; bake until golden again, about 30 minutes total.
4. Stir basil and garlic into marinara sauce. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in baking dish. Top with half of eggplant, slightly overlapping slices. Cover with 1 cup of sauce; sprinkle with half of mozzarella. Cover with remaining eggplant, and top with remaining sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan.
5. Bake, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes, or until bubbly and golden. Let stand 10 minutes; enjoy!

Btw, I served it with strawberry spinach salad with candied almonds ... a great way to use the strawberries that happen to be in season at this time of year!


8 comments:

Joan Morris said...

Yum, I love eggplant. It looks delicious :)

Kay Hinton said...

Man that looks good. Go to Olive Garden, Cook it at home, Go to Olive Garden, Cook it at home . . .. Both!

Shonna said...

I just put this on my menu for next week, it looks delicious! I like the idea of baking it instead of frying it, I'm sure it'll taste better too. ;)

Shonna said...

We just had this for dinner and both Blake and I voted that it's way better than Olive Garden's and tons healthier for you since it's baked instead of fried. I can't believe we pay so much for that at Olive Garden, it's a pretty cheap meal, and so good.

Sarah said...

I made your strawberry salad a few weeks ago and it was a hit! The nuts were really easy to do and the dressing was wonderful. Thanks!

Cara and Mike said...

Mmmm! This looks really good! I've never had eggplant parmesan before :) I can't wait to try it! :)

Cara and Mike said...

PS, how do you candy your almonds? I have a holiday candied almonds recipe I love, but I'm not sure if it would go well with a salad.. what do you do? :)

Kay Hinton said...

Mr. Ogura gives us eggplant, so we've made this a couple of times. It is absolutely delicious- one of our favorite meals we've made in Japan! Thank you so much for the recipe!