Elle's Kitchen: Eggplant Parmesan

For most of my life I didn't eat eggplant,

I thought it was icky.  As I traveled around

the world there always seemed to be an

eggplant dish on the table and to be a sport

I would taste them.  And they were fabulous!

What was I missing for all those lost years?

This is not a recipe for a busy night,  make it

some day when you are going to be around the

house, working on other things ~ it takes a

bit of time.

But it is worth it and this version is healthier

than the traditional style.

Ingredients:

2 good sized eggplants

olive oil

large container fat free cottage cheese

1/4 cup plus 2 tbls. grated parm

1/2 cut fresh parsley, chopped

1 egg

2 cups part-skim mozzarella, grated

large jar marinara sauce

can of fire roasted, diced tomatoes, drained

salt

Slice eggplants into 1/2" rounds ( it is best if you

end up with 24 rounds), sprinkle with salt

and place in colander for 1/2 hour to release

moisture,  then place on paper towels

 to soak up any extra moisture.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Place eggplant on baking sheet and brush

both sides with olive oil.

Bake for 25 minutes, turning halfway.

In a bowl combine cottage cheese, egg,

parsley and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.

In another bowl combine the sauce and

the diced tomatoes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Spray a 9" x 13" glass pan with cooking

spray for easier clean-up.  Put a bit of

sauce in the bottom of pan, then a layer

of eggplant, top with 1/3 of cheese mixture,

sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella and add some

sauce.  Repeat layers ending up with a layer

of eggplant topped with sauce, the final 1/2 cup

of mozzarella and the 2 tbls. of parmesan.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. 

Remove foil and bake an additional 10

minutes.  Remove from oven and allow

to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!