Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Well, I am behind in my posts again!

Last night for dinner I made my baked eggplant parmesan... it's a healthy take on the normal eggplant parm! Instead of frying the eggplant in a skillet, you bake it which makes the eggplant just as soft and crispy without adding the fat. Another fat saving tip is to dip your eggplant in egg whites instead of a full egg!

So, to get things started I heated up the oven to 400 degrees. Then I skinned and sliced the eggplant into 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick slices. I dipped the eggplant in egg whites and dredged it in bread crumbs. I then placed the eggplant slices on a cookie pan that I had sprayed with olive oil cooking spray (fat free and basically calorie free). Once all of the slices were done (they usually have to fit on two cookie sheets) I placed them in the oven. You can let them cook for 15 minutes at 400 degrees and then take them out of the oven and flip each piece onto their other side. Put them back into the oven for 15 more minutes.

While they are baking, get out your other ingredients. I use a low sodium plain tomato sauce (usually a jar and a half gets the job done) and low fat or fat free mozzarella shredded cheese. I sprayed the glass pan (9" x 11" or 8" x 8" will work). Once the eggplant comes out of the oven (you can then reduce the heat in the oven to about 300 degrees!), I start layering it in the pan. Eggplant, cheese, sauce, and repeat. I like to put extra sauce and cheese on the very top layer along with seasonings (garlic, basil, etc.)

Once you've finished layering your eggplant, put the pan back in the oven for a few minutes. Since the eggplant is fully cooked, you are really just heating up the sauce and the cheese. I usually leave mine in for 15 minutes.

The end result is a nice Baked Eggplant Parmesan! Last night Ben and I enjoyed this with a side of whole wheat pasta. Yum.

Well, that is all I have for now. I will do a recap for Wednesday and Thursday tonight.

Hope you are all having a great Thursday!