Description
This is one of my favorite ways to eat eggplant. Traditionally eggplant parmesan is breaded and fried before baking. I made this lighter by roasting the eggplant in the oven instead, using reduced fat mozzarella and fat free ricotta which reduces the fat and calories significantly. Always use a good parmesan or romano cheese like Locatelli or Reggiano any time a recipe calls for grated cheese for the best results.
Yield: 8servings | Serving Size: 1/8th
Ingredients
2poundseggplant, 1 large or 2 medium
olive oil spray
1teaspoonkosher salt
12ounces part-skim ricotta, Polly-o is the only brand I use
1/4cup+ 2 tbsp Pecorino Romano
1/4cupfresh parsley, chopped
1large egg
2-1/2cupspart-skim mozzarella, I used Sargento
4cupshomemade tomato sauce or jarred marinara
Instructions
- Start by making the sauce if you don’t have any already made.
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray 2 sheet pans with oil.
- While the sauce simmers, slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick slices. Transfer to the prepared pans, it’s ok if they overlap slightly. Season with salt. Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through until eggplant is golden.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine ricotta, egg, parsley and 1/4 cup of grated cheese.
Put 1/2 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9×12 baking dish, add 1/3 of eggplant to cover the bottom of the dish. Top with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 3/4 cup of the sauce. Add another layer of eggplant and repeat the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and sauce two more times, reserving the third layer of mozzarella for topping. Finish with 1 1/2 cups of sauce, remaining mozzarella, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of grated cheese.
- Heat the oven to 400F.
- Cover with foil and bake until cheese is melted and everything is bubbling, about 40 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.
- Take it out of the oven and let it sit about 10 minutes before cutting.
Last Step:
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