Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant Parmesan

This dish is one of my favorite dinners.  Delicious and full of favor in this comfort food.  I discovered the recipe in "Always Hungry?", by David Ludwig, MD, and made a few changes.  If you've never had Tofu, do be afraid.  It doesn't really have a taste and takes on the taste of the dish.  It's a nice protein for this dish.  I'm a busy girl, so I like to prepare the dish in advance, refrigerate and cook before serving.  Let's keep that tofu ingredient our little secret!  My other-half doesn't realize his eating tofu and loves this dish.  If he knew, he might change his mind!

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium eggplant (approximately 1 pound), cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
  • 4 teaspoons of olive oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 14 to 16 ounces of extra-firm tofu, drained and gently pressed with an absorbent towel
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • One 25 ounce jar of organic good quality marinara sauce.  (I used Organic Tomato Basil, no sugar added.)
  • 8 ounces of Kite Hill ricotta nut cheese (Available at Whole Foods or replace with regular ricotta if you prefer the dairy version.)
  • 1 cup of non-dairy shredded mozzarella (I used Daiya but use a brand of your choice or the dairy version.)
  • 1 large zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup grated non-dairy shredded mozzarella to top.  If you aren’t going dairy-free, use shredded parmesan.

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Brush the eggplant with the oil and arrange the rounds in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt.  Roast until tender, about 12-15 minutes.  Remove from the oven.
  3. Crumble the tofu into a large bowl with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper.  Combine well.  Stir in 1 cup of mozzarella and ricotta until well mixed.
  4. Cover the bottom of a 9x12-inch baking dish with 3/4 cup of the marinara sauce.  Top with half the basil, then half the roasted eggplant, half the zucchini, and half the tofu and cheese mixture. 
  5. Repeat the layers.
  6. Top with remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle with 1/4 cup mozzarella.
  7. Place the baking dish back in the oven.
  8. Roast until the eggplant is soft, bubbling throughout and mozzarella is golden brown on top (about 30 minutes).
  9. Serve warm.

The original recipe has a serving size of four.  However, my home of two eats on this dish for four days.  We are definitely conscious of your portion size!

Healthy, Clean Eating….Enjoy!