Skinny Eggplant Parmesan

Skinny Eggplant Parmesan

Adapted from Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home

Ingredients

Makes 4 generous servings

3 medium eggplants

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 29 oz / 820 gr can diced tomato

1 cup / 3.1 oz / 88 gr Parmesan cheese, grated

2 free-range eggs, beaten

1 medium onion, chopped

1 + 1 tablespoons olive oil

handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

1 +1 teaspoons fine grain sea salt

black ground pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and place a rack in the middle. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly grease with some olive oil. Set aside.

Fill a large bowl with cold water, add 1 teaspoon of salt and stir until it dissolves completely.

Wash thoroughly the eggplants, slice them into ¼-inch rounds and place them into the bowl of water. Let the eggplant rounds sit for at least 20 minutes to draw out the bitterness.

In the meantime make the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add onion and garlic and saute’ for 5 minutes, until onion begins to golden. Add diced tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of salt, basil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and set aside.

Fish the eggplant slices out of the water and arrange them on a single layer on prepared baking sheets. Bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes until the slices begin turning deep brown on top.

Remove the slices from the baking sheets and place them on a plate to cool.

Lightly grease with 1 tablespoon of olive oil the bottom and sides of an 8 by 12-inch baking pan (a brownie pan works perfectly).

Cover the bottom of the baking dish with some tomato sauce and arrange eggplant slices on top to form a uniform layer. Cover the eggplant with some tomato sauce, some Parmesan cheese and top with 2 tablespoons of beaten eggs (they’re going . Repeat to make 3 layers making sure to end with a uniform layer of tomato sauce and top with the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes until hot and beginning to brown. Let rest at for 10 minutes before serving.This dish is just as good (maybe even better) the day after, reheat in the microwave for a couple of minutes and enjoy warm.