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!