No-Guilt Eggplant Parmesan

Here it is — a recipe post that doesn't contain any chicken or turkey, which some folks may be tired of by now. As we celebrated Thanksgiving by dining out with family members, there were no leftovers for us to tire of eating. 

As we've posted about before, Grenville and myself are both on a weight loss plan. It's working, although sometimes we hit a few plateaus or stumbling blocks along the way. We're always looking for new ways to cut calories on some favorite recipes.

Eggplant parmesan used to involve breading and then frying the eggplant before assembling the dish. Delicious, sure it was, but calorie-filled too. Did it taste good? Yes! We  tried other eggplant parmesan recipes which called for cutting and baking the eggplant. The result was good and healthy too, but we missed the crunchiness of breading first. Until last week, when I found this recipe at Cooking Light online. After one try, it's definitely a "keeper" for us.

No Guilt  Eggplant Parmesan

• 1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 TBSP water
• 2 C whole-wheat panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/4 C grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• Cooking spray

Filling

• 1/2 C torn fresh basil
• 1/4 C grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
• 1-2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 16 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten

Remaining ingredients

• 1 jar tomato sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 8 oz. thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 C finely grated fontina cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon of water in a shallow dish (cake tins work well). Combine panko and 1/4 cup Parmigiana-Reggiano in a second shallow pan. 
2. Dip eggplant in egg mixture, dredge in panko mix, pressing gently to adhere and shake off excess. Place eggplant, 1 inch apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. 
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden, turning once and rotating baking sheets after 15 minutes (if using more than one).
4. To make filling, combine basil and next 6 ingredients (through egg).
5. To assemble, spoon 1/2 cup of tomato cause in bottom of 13x9-inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer half of eggplant slices over pasta sauce. Sprinkle eggplant with salt. 
6. Top with 3/4 cup of tomato sauce, spread half of ricotta cheese mixture over sauce and top with a third of mozzarella and 1/4 cup fontina cheese. Repeat layers once, ending with about 1 cup of sauce.
   
7. Cover tightly with aluminum foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. 
8. Remove foil and top with remaining third of mozzarella and 1/3 cup fontina. Bake 10 minutes longer or until sauce is bubbly and cheese melts. 

Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!