Healthy Eggplant Parmesan No Frying Required Food

BAKED EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees and line jelly roll pans with parchment paper.
• Mix in a shallow bowl, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, garlic powder and salt.
• Whisk 2 eggs in another shallow bowl.
• Dip eggplant first in eggs then in breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides and place on jelly roll pans.
• Drizzle a small amount of oil on each round and bake for 20 minutes.
• Flip rounds and drizzle more oil and cook for additional 10 minutes.
• Take out of the oven and lower temperature to 350 degrees.
• Cover the bottom of a baking pan, (9 x 9) or larger, with sauce and place eggplant on the sauce layer without overlapping the rounds.
• Cover eggplant with sauce, mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.
• Continue layering for 2 more layers, add slices of mozzarella on top and sprinkle some dried parsley over all.
• Bake for 35 - 40 minutes uncovered (38 minutes in my oven).
• Serve
• Eat
• Enjoy

NO FRY EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Wash the eggplants and slice into approximately ½" - 1" inch rounds. Lay them on a cooling rack or paper towels and generously salt each side of the eggplant with kosher salt. Allow the eggplant to sit for 1 hour to sweat out any extra bitterness and moisture.
• Once eggplants have had time to sweat, rinse them thoroughly with water to remove any excess salt and then pat them completely dry.
• Preheat the oven to 400° and line two sheet pans with parchment paper or foil.
• Crack both eggs into a shallow dish or bowl with the water and scramble them together with a fork or whisk.
• In a separate shallow dish or bowl, mix together the panko breadcrumbs, italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
• Working with 1-2 slices at a time, dip the eggplant into the egg mixture and then into the breadcrumb mixture. Make sure to allow the excess egg mixture to drip off of the eggplant before transferring to the breadcrumbs. Press breadcrumbs into all sides of the eggplant to make sure they stick properly to form the crust around the entire eggplant slice.
• Place breaded eggplant slices on the prepared sheet pans and spray or drizzle them lightly with olive oil. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Sheet pans may need to be rotated on the shelves halfway through baking to ensure all of the slices brown evenly.
• In a 9x13 baking dish, spread approximately ½ cup of the italian gravy over the bottom of the pan. Layer half of the eggplant slices over the top of the sauce. Then spread 1 cup of the sauce over the eggplant and top with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup of the parmesan cheese. Repeat the second layer with the remaining eggplant slices, sauce, and cheeses.
• Reduce oven temperature to 375° and bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

LIGHTER EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Start by making the sauce if you don't have any already made.
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray 2 sheet pans with oil.
• While the sauce simmers, slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick slices. Transfer to the prepared pans, it's ok if they overlap slightly. Season with salt. Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through until eggplant is golden.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine ricotta, egg, parsley and 1/4 cup of grated cheese.
• Put 1/2 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9x12 baking dish, add 1/3 of eggplant to cover the bottom of the dish. Top with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 3/4 cup of the sauce. Add another layer of eggplant and repeat the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and sauce two more times, reserving the third layer of mozzarella for topping. Finish with 1 1/2 cups of sauce, remaining mozzarella, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of grated cheese.
• Heat the oven to 400F.
• Cover with foil and bake until cheese is melted and everything is bubbling, about 40 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.
• Take it out of the oven and let it sit about 10 minutes before cutting.

RAGÚ® NO-FRYING EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place bread crumbs in medium bowl.
• Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, then bread crumbs. Arrange eggplant slices in single layer on lightly oiled baking sheets. Bake until eggplant is golden, about 25 minutes.
• Evenly spread 1 cup Sauce in 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Layer ½ of the baked eggplant slices, then 1 cup Sauce and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese; repeat layers. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 45 minutes.
• Remove foil and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

NO-FRY EGGPLANT PARMESAN FOR TWO

Steps:

• Peel and cut eggplant into 1/2 inch thick slices. Sprinkle eggplant slices with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Stack them vertically in a colander, or lay them out on paper towels to drain. If they're laid on paper towels, they should be turned once in a while. Let stand for 30 minutes and then blot dry with clean paper towels. Meanwhile, position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Rub 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the eggplant slices, place them on a lipped baking sheet to catch any drips, and bake for 15 minutes. Turn and bake for about 15 additional minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside; reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the onion (diced) and soften for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the minced garlic, oregano, basil, pepper and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly; then raise the heat to medium-high, pour in the tomatoes with their juice, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cover, reduced the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes, until thickened. The dish can be made in advance up to this point. Cover the eggplant slices and the sauce and refrigerate separately for up to 24 hours; allow both to come back to room temperature before proceeding with the dish.
• Layer the following in this order in a 6-cup casserole dish or an 8-inch square baking pan; one-third of the tomato sauce, half the eggplant slices, half the cheese slices, 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg, half of the remaining tomato sauce, the remaining eggplant slices, the remaining cheese shavings, and the remaining tomato sauce. You may have to cut the eggplant slices to make them fit in one layer, or you may have to overlap them a bit.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until thickened and bubbly. Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.

FARMER'S MARKET, NO FRY, EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Slice eggplant into 1/2 inch rounds. Salt both sides and set on paper towels to drain moisture. Let set for 30 minutes. Blot dry.
• Meanwhile, heat oil to medium and saute peppers, pepper flakes, and garlic. Heat until limp. Add wine. Reduce. Add tomatoes and oregano.
• Stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in basil. Season to taste with salt.
• While tomatoes are cooking, dip eggplant into flour and shake off excess. Discard flour. In same bowl add breadcrumbs. Dip flour coated eggplant into beaten egg, then bread crumbs.
• Place in single layer on cookie sheet, or better yet a cookie drying grate on top of a cookie sheet. Bake at 375°F for 25 minutes until crisp.
• Using a loaf pan sprayed with Pam, layer a spoonful of sauce. Top with a layer of cooked eggplant. Spread more sauce and top with more eggplant. (I get three slices of eggplant per layer).
• Top with mozzarella then another layer of sauce. Top with more eggplant, then cheese then sauce. Repeat one more time giving you four layers. Top with remaining sauce.
• Bake for 20 minutes.
• Top with good quality parmesan. Bake 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and let set for 10 minutes. Cut into four sections of layers.

HEALTHY EGGPLANT PARMESAN (NO FRYING REQUIRED)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously coat the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Season cut sides of tomatoes with salt and pepper.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Arrange tomato halves into the skillet with the cut sides facing down. Reduce heat to medium-low, place a cover on the skillet, and cook tomatoes until warmed through, about 5 minutes.
• Pour water over the tomatoes, again cover the skillet, and continue cooking tomatoes until the skins begin to wrinkle and loosen from the flesh, about 5 minutes. Remove skins with tongs and discard. Mash tomatoes in the skillet until smooth.
• Reduce heat to low. Stir onion, bell pepper, celery, wine, tomato paste, parsley, basil, and garlic into the mashed tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the liquid reduces to about 2/3 its original volume, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Bake in preheated oven until the edges begin to brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Slice about 1/2 inch off each end of the eggplant; cut eggplant lengthwise into 6 equal slices. Lay each eggplant slice into the prepared baking dish; flip so both sides of each slice are coated in oil.
• Spoon tomato mixture in an even layer over the eggplant slices. Spread Gouda cheese over the tomato mixture in an even layer. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over the Gouda.