Eating vegetables can sometimes be a chore, and eating light can often leave one unsatisfied. But there is a solution: enter eggplant, the meat of the vegetable family. Eggplant absorbs the same Italian flavors that make chicken parmesan delicious and is just as filling as meat, but it has less fat, calories and carbohydrates.
Vegetarian eggplant parmesan makes eating light filling and manageable. This recipe makes six dinner-sized portions. Leftovers can be used for eggplant parmesan sandwiches on toasted rolls or stuffed into a panini for the next day - just save extra marinara sauce or open up a fresh jar for dipping. Even your meat-loving friends will be asking for seconds.
Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients:1 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs 2 egg whites 1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 onion 3 cloves garlic crushed red chili flakes 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes 1 tablespoon tomato paste black pepper 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place bread crumbs and egg whites on two separate plates. Coat each eggplant round with the egg whites and dip into bread crumbs. Place the coated eggplant on a wire rack and bake for 15 minutes.
Heat olive oil in a saucepan at medium heat and add sliced onions and garlic. Saut?©e until softened (about 2 minutes). Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and chill flakes to taste (about 1 teaspoon for medium heat.) Simmer for about 5 minutes and add pepper and salt as desired. Take off heat and add most of the fresh basil.
Remove eggplant from the oven and place at the bottom of a large casserole dish. Sprinkle a quarter of both cheeses over the eggplant and then pour tomato sauce over the dish. Top with the remainder of the cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese begins to bubble and brown. Remove from heat and serve with the remainder of the fresh basil.
(Inspired by the Food Network's eggplant parmesan recipe)
