I love eggplant and especially Eggplant Parmigiana. I was the pickiest kid on the block, and even I loved eating my mom’s eggplant parmigiana. It didn’t taste like vegetables or even eggplant. It just tasted GOOD!
My husband was craving eggplant parm today. Since the dish is notoriously high in calories and fat, I pulled out the Weight Watchers recipe search engine and found what looked like a really excellent substitute for my mom’s original recipe. Instead of frying the eggplant slices, they are baked in the oven.
The recipe calls for breadcrumbs, but due to my spouses somewhat creative way of putting things away in the cupboard, I couldn’t find the breadcrumbs anywhere. But I did find a bag of matzoh meal which I subbed out for really nice results. I’d post up a picture of the results, but it was consumed at an amazing speed at dinner.
This isn’t your Nona’s eggplant parmigiana, and I doubt she’d approve. But it is a nice light version that is delicious on its own. It makes about 4 servings if you have a salad with dinner as well.
Eggplant Parmigiana
Cooking spray ( I used Trader Joe’s olive oil spray)
1/2 cup of matzoh meal
1 TB of grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp of Italian seasonings (or as I used, the Trader Joe’s 21 seasoning salute)
1/4 tsp of garlic powder
1 large eggplant
2 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce
1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, low fat.
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 x 12 pan with the cooking spray. Also, lightly spray a cookie sheet with oil as well
2. Cut off the ends of the eggplant and peel off the skin. Cut into rounds about 1/2 in thick.
3. In a bowl, combine the matzoh meal, seasonings and Parmesan cheese. In a separate bowl, stir the egg whites lightly.
4. Dip the slices of eggplant into the egg whites, then dredge in the matzoh meal. Place slices on the cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes in the oven, flipping them once.
5. Remove the eggplant from the oven. Place a layer of eggplant in the pan, then 1/2 of the sauce with 1/4 cup of cheese. Place the remaining layer of eggplant on top of the first and layer remaining sauce and cheese on top.
6. Bake in the oven for another 10 – 12 minutes, or until cheese melts and is bubbly.
Enjoy!
skullwoman 