Eggplant parm, short for eggplant parmesan, is the vegetarian alternative to chicken parmesan. It’s also one of the many easy eggplant recipes you can whip up for a comforting and satisfying meal without putting in too much effort.
Unlike a traditional eggplant parmesan recipe, this baked eggplant parmesan is skinnier and healthier. Made with baked eggplant rather than fried eggplant, this healthy eggplant parm recipe has less fat and less work involved to put it together.
To create this type of baked eggplant recipe, you’ll only need a handful of ingredients, including grated parmesan, tomato sauce, dry breadcrumbs, and the eggplants themselves. In addition, we make a healthy swap for the second type of cheese that’s typically used in eggplant parm recipes.
You’ll often find an eggplant parm recipe made with ricotta cheese, but using part-skim mozzarella like we’ve done here is a healthier option as the mozzarella is lower in fat and calories.
Cooking this eggplant parmesan is really a matter of three major steps. The first is to coat your eggplant slices in breadcrumbs, the second step is to bake them, then the third step is to layer them on top of each other with tomato sauce and cheese. In a way, this recipe is very much like an eggplant parmesan lasagna without the noodles.
Our favorite part of this eggplant parm recipe is that even though it’s a vegetarian meal, it’s loaded with protein and very filling because of the eggplant. This dish is also incredibly yummy, so we’re confident that even the big meat eaters in your life will love this!
Summary |
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Cook time: 50 Minutes
Prep time: 20 Minutes
Idle time:
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Level
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Servings: Servings
Unit:
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Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- 3 egg whites
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese divided
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup slivered fresh basil leaves
- 2 1/2 cups tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease two baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray. Grease an 8" by 11.5" pyrex dish or casserole type dish as well. Set these aside.
- Remove the stems from the eggplants, then cut the eggplants into 1/4" slices.
- To a shallow bowl, add the egg whites and water, then whisk to combine. In another shallow bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup of the parmesan, and the salt and pepper.
- Dip each eggplant slice into the egg whites, give it a quick shake, then dip in the breadcrumb bowl. Give it a quick shake again to remove any excess crumbs. Place the eggplant slices in a single layer onto the greased baking sheets.
- Bake the eggplant slices for 15 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 15 minutes until crisp and golden.
- While the eggplant is baking, add the tomato sauce to a bowl. Stir the basil into the tomato sauce to combine. Pour 1/2 a cup of the tomato sauce into the pyrex/casserole dish.
- Place half of the eggplant slices over this sauce, slightly overlapping the slices. Top with another cup of tomato sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese. Add a second layer of eggplant slices, then top with the remaining sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan.
- Bake the eggplant parm for 15 to 20 minutes (uncovered) until the sauce is bubbly and the top is golden.
Additional information
Recipe adapted from eatingwell.com
