Buon Appetito: Eggplant Parmesan – the healthy way

An Italian favorite, Eggplant Parmesan is typically made with fried eggplant and loads of high-fat cheese – a dieter’s nightmare! But there are ways to modify the recipe so it fits into your healthy diet. To reduce the calories, fat and sodium while retaining the flavor, try this healthy recipe for Eggplant Parmesan.

Ingredients:
Eggplant

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 cups whole-wheat panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 (1 pound) eggplants, peeled and cut crosswise into ½-inch slices
• Cooking spray

Filling

• 1/2 cup torn fresh basil
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (16 ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 (24 ounce) jar premium pasta sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) finely grated fontina cheese

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Eggplant: Combine 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon of water in a shallow dish. Combine panko and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano in a second shallow dish. Dip eggplant in egg mixture; dredge in panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere and shaking off excess. Place eggplant slices 1 inch apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden, turning once and rotating baking sheets after 15 minutes.
3. Filling: Combine basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, red pepper, garlic, salt, ricotta cheese and egg.
4. To assemble, spoon 1/2 cup pasta sauce in bottom of a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer half of eggplant slices over pasta sauce. Sprinkle eggplant with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Top with about 3/4 cup pasta sauce. Spread half of ricotta mixture over sauce and top with a third of mozzarella and 1/4 cup fontina cheese. Repeat layers once, ending with about 1 cup pasta sauce. Cover tightly with aluminum foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove foil; top with remaining third of mozzarella and 1/4 cup fontina cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese melts; cool 10 minutes.

Nutritional Information:
Amount per serving

• Calories: 318
• Fat: 15.1 g
• Saturated fat: 8.2 g
• Monounsaturated fat: 2.7 g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 0.6 g
• Protein: 19.3 g
• Carbohydrate: 26.8 g
• Fiber: 4.8 g
• Cholesterol: 99 mg
• Iron: 1.6 mg
• Sodium: 655 mg
• Calcium: 365 mg

The recipe yields 10 servings. Serving size is one slice. Preparation time is one hour and 45 minutes.

This recipe is courtesy of Kathy Kitchens Downie, RD, Cooking Light (September 2010).