Parm-Wonderful
I made some lovely Eggplant Parmesan last week and I fell madly-deeply in love with it all over again. I love when Cooking Light does their recipe makeovers because it always tastes just like the original without all the guilt! I will admit that when B saw this on the meal plan, he was a little like, "Vegetarian?! Where's the meat?!" but I convinced him that if he did not like it, I would make him something else. His major complaint with a lot of vegetarian meals just do not fill him up so he does not usually like veggie nights. We try to have at least one vegetarian dinner a week, good for the tummies and the pocket book. Thankfully, B loved this as much as I do and he stated that this was a "make-again" dish. Below is the recipe, it is a little labor intensive but totally worth it. Enjoy
Eggplant Parmesan
Serves 10
Eggplant Parmesan
Serves 10
Eggplant
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 cups whole-wheat panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 2 (1-pound) eggplants, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- Cooking spray
- 1/2 cup torn fresh basil
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 (16-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- Remaining ingredients:
- 1 (24-ounce) jar premium pasta sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup (3 ounces) finely grated fontina cheese
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. To make eggplant, combine 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon water in a shallow dish. Combine panko and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano in a second shallow dish. Dip eggplant in egg mixture; dredge in panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere and shaking off excess. Place eggplant 1 inch apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until golden, turning once and rotating baking sheets after 15 minutes.
3. To make filling, combine basil and next 6 ingredients (through egg).
4. To assemble, spoon 1/2 cup pasta sauce in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer half of eggplant slices over pasta sauce. Sprinkle eggplant with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Top with about 3/4 cup pasta sauce; spread half of ricotta mixture over sauce, and top with a third of mozzarella and 1/4 cup fontina. Repeat layers once, ending with about 1 cup pasta sauce. Cover tightly with aluminum foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes. Remove foil; top with remaining third of mozzarella and 1/4 cup fontina. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese melts; cool 10 minutes.
2. To make eggplant, combine 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon water in a shallow dish. Combine panko and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano in a second shallow dish. Dip eggplant in egg mixture; dredge in panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere and shaking off excess. Place eggplant 1 inch apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until golden, turning once and rotating baking sheets after 15 minutes.
3. To make filling, combine basil and next 6 ingredients (through egg).
4. To assemble, spoon 1/2 cup pasta sauce in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer half of eggplant slices over pasta sauce. Sprinkle eggplant with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Top with about 3/4 cup pasta sauce; spread half of ricotta mixture over sauce, and top with a third of mozzarella and 1/4 cup fontina. Repeat layers once, ending with about 1 cup pasta sauce. Cover tightly with aluminum foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes. Remove foil; top with remaining third of mozzarella and 1/4 cup fontina. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese melts; cool 10 minutes.
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