Lighter Eggplant Parmesan

This cosy rendition of traditional Eggplant Parmesan is lightened up by replacing the deep frying with the broiler. A quick broil gets these lightly breaded eggplant slices softened perfectly for layering and baking in marinara and gooey cheeses.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian, North American

Keyword cheese, eggplant, marinara sauce

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Servings 5

Ingredients

Marinara Sauce, can be made in advance

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp tomato paste
28 oz jar or can of whole tomatoes, or 796 ml, can also use crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp cubed butter, optional
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Cheese Layers

2 cups freshly grated pizza mozzarella, can also use fontina, or Monterey Jack, or a combo thereof
1/2 cup freshly grated Asiago or Pecorino-Romano

Eggplant Layers

1 large or 2 medium oblong eggplants
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups panko, can use gluten free version
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp Italian seasoning
non-stick spray
15 or so medium basil leaves, if large they can be torn, and you will need less
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Marinara Sauce, can be made in advance

Heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté till softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add the seasonings and the tomato paste and stir to evenly coat the onion and garlic.
Pour in the tomatoes and any juices, along with the butter and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer. Cook down for 30 minutes, till thickened. Season with salt and pepper (start with 1/2 tsp of each) and the balsamic vinegar.
Transfer everything to a blender and purée till smooth, don't forget to remove the bay leaf!
If making this in advance, store in a sealed container once cool, in the fridge, or even the freezer. Bring back room temperature before continuing with the recipe.

Eggplant Prep

Have two baking sheets lined with parchment paper ready to go. Have a rack set on the highest point, below the broiler.
Take a vegetable slicer and remove some of the skin from the eggplants. Leave some on, for colour and flavour.
Trim off the top and bottom. Slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch slices. If you are using a large eggplant, you should get enough slices to fill one 8x10 baking dish (about 18 -21 slices)
In a shallow wide dish, beat the eggs with 1 tsp of water. In another shallow wide dish, combine the panko, ground almonds, parmesan cheese and Italian seasonings, stirring to combine well.
Take an eggplant slice, dip it into the egg dredge and shake off excess, and lay in the panko mixture. Use your opposite hand to pat some breading on each side of the eggplant. Don't worry about getting a thick coating, you want this to be a lighter version, remember!? Place it onto one baking sheet.
Repeat with all the remaining eggplant slices. You should be able to get them all on the two sheets. If not, or if using only one dish, work in batches.
Spray the tops of the eggplant slices with non-stick spray.
Broil for 2-4 minutes, keeping an eye on the slices to ensure that the coating isn't going from golden brown to scorched.
Turn, spray again and broil the other sides. Remove to a cooling rack till ready to layer. Repeat with the remaining eggplant slices if using only one baking sheet.

Assembly of the Eggplant Parmesan

Have the rack set in the centre of the oven, and warm to 375F
Spray an 8x10 baking dish (or there about)
Cover the bottom with a layer of the Marinara Sauce
Gently lay out 1/3 of the eggplant slices to cover the bottom, a little overlapping is fine.
Spread out 1/3 of the remaining sauce.
Sprinkle some fresh basil leaves over the sauce.
Cover with 1/3 of the grated cheeses.
Repeat two more times. Always finish with sauce and cheese.
Bake covered with foil for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the cheeses are bubbling and turning golden. If the dish is heated through and you want a bit more colour, turn on the broiler to finish the cheese.
Set on a cooling rack to let the dish set for 15 minutes or so. Sprinkle fresh parsley over the cheese and serve.
See blog post for prep, storing and freezer details.

Recipe Notes

I say this feeds 5, but if you are serving a salad and garlic bread on the side, it may even feed 6!

If you are using 2 eggplants, you can probably go up in size of the baking dish a bit.
Feel free to double the recipe and use a 9 x 13 baking dish. You may not need all the extra cheese, but if you grate it all and don't need it, just store in the fridge or freezer for impromptu grilled cheese or pizza moments.