Good morning and Happy Wednesday! How beautiful is that sun that’s shining out there? I’m so excited to share this recipe with you, that I can’t even wait.
YUM, right?
So to go along with yesterday’s post about tomato sauce, I had to make something to go with the tomato sauce. I can get sick of pasta every Sunday, so I decided to switch it up with the fresh eggplant we picked. You certainly don’t need fresh picked eggplant to make this dish, but it does add to the extra flavor. This dish was truly melt in your mouth delicious.
I don’t make eggplant parm a lot, but I was certainly reminded why I need to make it more, ESPECIALLY with panko.
What is panko? It is a type of Japanese breadcrumb made from wheat bread that has a lighter, coarser, crispier texture than Western breadcrumbs. (source) You can get it at Trader Joe’s, Wild By Nature & Whole Foods.
So without further chatter…
egg and panko dishes
first dip in egg, then in panko
ready to be baked
line the bottom of dish with sauce
first layer of eggplant and covered again with sauce
cover with mozz
and done!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized wide bowl, crack the eggs. Sprinkle with a generous tbsp grated cheese, sea salt and pepper. Mix well. On a large plate add breadcrumbs. Also add the same amount of grated cheese, salt and pepper and combine. Prepare 2 baking sheets by covering both with aluminum foil and spraying with olive oil. Take each piece of eggplant and first dip both sides in egg mixture and then lay in panko breadcrumbs. Make sure both sides are evenly coated using your fingers to press down to help cover. Arrange each piece on the baking sheet. When you are finished with each piece of eggplant, put baking sheets in the oven. Let bake for 15 minutes, until lightly browned, take out of the oven and flip and bake again for 12-15 more minutes until brown on both sides. In a large baking dish (I used 9 x 13) spoon sauce to make a think layer covering the bottom. This will prevent eggplant from sticking. Take the eggplant pieces and line them along the bottom. After the layer is finished, cover the layer with more tomato sauce. Repeat another layer using the eggplant. Cover again with tomato sauce and then top with mozzarella cheese. Bake covered for 20 minutes and then remove the cover for the last 5 minutes of baking.
*Notes: I used panko because it is extra crispy and does really well with baking. I baked the eggplant pieces to make this a healthier eggplant parm and used minimal cheese. You really don’t need to put cheese between each layer, it’s amazing with the cheese only on the top. Using fresh mozzarella really improves the taste and quality of the dish, so try not to skimp on that if possible.
There you have it, a healthier eggplant parm recipe. It can be done!
Remember those Navitas Naturals Power Snacks I posted about? You can win some, just by visiting my facebook page. Look for the post about it and make sure you like my page. Leave a comment about which ones you’d like to win and your entered! Hurry, it’s only until the end of the day!
Also if you really love me, go vote for my better breakfast over at Janetha’s Blog. It takes 2 seconds to vote and you don’t even have to enter your email. My breakfast is #1 ! Thank you!
Have an amazing day!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
This looks delicious, and I’m not saying that about much these days! Will definitely be making it
I also voted for your breakfast, looked the yummiest to me for sure, plus you gotta love that extra protein in the morning from the quinoa.
Love eggplant parm and baking with panko! Great recipe!
YUM!!! If only Keith would eat meat-free meals. I am sure I could modify this to be chicken though!
When I was at home last weekend, my Mom made a Mark Bittman recipe – chicken & eggplant parmesan – veggies and chicken layered with sauce and breadcrumbs and parm, but no mozz! After seeing the mozz on yours, I think I would add some mozz to that recipe.