Eggplant Parmesan has been a family favorite for many years. We would spend hours preparing it, along with sauce and an Italian feast. Dipping slices I the egg batter and flour, the frying in olive oil until golden brown.
My husband would sample the finished product and stash it in the fridge. That was because cold eggplant sandwiches were his favorite. Have you tried it that way? The time it would take and the amount of oil the dish would use made I something we would make less and less often.
So when I found a pretty, thin purple and white eggplant at our little farmers market this week, I decide to experiment with a lighter method. I was surprised how great it tasted! Rich and delicious yet very easy to assemble. It’s takes just minutes to have it in the oven. Thirty minutes later you ave a specialty Italian dish that suits even most vegetarians.
Best of all, it needs no oil at all. Simply layer the ingredients and bake. I made a small batch with my little eggplant, but the regular oval shaped, solid purple ones you usually see in the grocery store will make a good sized pan.
In the family tradition I had a sample just out of the oven, then made a sandwich. Cold is very tasty, but this one was served hot on a Kaiser roll.
Easy and so much healthier besides. Try it and see what you think. Personally I like it better without the oil.
You can also make it as cheesy as you like. I went light on mine, using less cheese between layers and a bit more on the top. It is so tasty either way.
Enjoy!
Rating
Serves: 6
- Pasta sauce of your choice (I used a light marinara sauce)
- 1 eggplant, peeled and sliced about ¼ inch thick
- 4 to 8 ounces Mozzarella,low fat, shredded
- ¼ cup fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (or more to taste)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Pan spray 9x9 baking pan.
- Heat pasta sauce.
- Spoon a thin layer of sauce across the bottom of the baking pan.
- Cover with one layer of eggplant, slightly overlapping edges.
- Sprinkle with mozzarella, then lightly with Parmesan.
- Cover with a layer of sauce.
- Repeat another layer of eggplant and mozzarella and sauce until you have 3 or 4 layers depending of pan.
- When layers are done, coat top with sauce, then sprinkle with both cheeses.
- Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.
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