When tomato season and eggplant season collide, my head practically explodes with joy.
The possibilities for experimentation are endless, but eggplant parmigiana is by my far my favorite way to celebrate.
Over the years I’ve prepared it numerous ways, constantly trying to decipher which method works best. And in the end I always come back to this stacked variation. Not only does it hold the most visual appeal, it’s consistently rendered the most crispy, crunchy, texture-rich eggplant parm ever.
So I’m going to highly suggest you make this TONIGHT. Or tomorrow, whatever. Just make it soon, because this time of year doesn’t last long.
Like I promised in my prior post I’m keeping things short for the rest of summer. So here are the specifics, no witty jokes required:
This simple dish needs just 7 ingredients!!!… IF you buy the sauce. Now we all know I’m SUPER judgmental about buying sauce from a jar (sorry) and the virtues of making it yourself (please do it). But I’ve preached about it so much that I figured I’d give you the option to just buy (ugh.. fine), so do whichever you think is best.
When it comes to the eggplant itself, try to purchase a medium-sized one with a distinct, carved shape. When the proportions are very narrow at the top vs. wide at the bottom, the medallions make for really nice stacking. Anyway, slice up your eggplant, dredge it in egg, coat in Italian breadcrumbs, and bake! I use olive oil spray for greasing to save on calories, because let’s not forget this is a skinny dish.
Once the eggplant is thoroughly crisped on the bottom — about 15 mins! — flip it over, then top the browned side with mozzarella, sauce, and sharp cheese. I use part-skim mozzarella for a lighter touch, plus a conservative dash of parm. Bake for 10 minutes more until the cheese is melted and bubbling, then stack!
A garnish of fresh basil finishes it off just right. xo
Skinny Eggplant Parmigiana
Ingredients:
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg whites
- a pinch of salt and pepper
- 3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/2″ – 3/4″ medallions
- 6 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
- 1 cup marinara sauce (OR use the homemade recipe here)
- 2 1/2 tbsps grated parmigiana cheese
- fresh basil to garnish
- olive oil spray to grease
Directions:
- *Pre-heat oven to 425F. Amply grease a large baking sheet with olive oil spray.
- In a small mixing bowl whisk the egg, egg whites, and salt & pepper. In another mixing bowl add the breadcrumbs. Next, one eggplant medallion at a time, dredge in the egg mixture, coat in the breadcrumbs on all sides, then transfer to the greased baking sheet. Repeat until all medallions are coated.
- Bake the eggplant on oven middle rack for 15 minutes until nicely browned on the bottom. Next, spray the top of each medallion with olive oil spray, then flip each slice. Top the exposed browned side with mozzarella, sauce, and a pinch of parmigiana, then bake for 10 more minutes until melted and bubbling.
- When ready, layer slices atop more sauce to create a tower. Garnish with fresh basil, then immediately plate and serve.
*if preparing your own sauce, let that be your step 1.