Eggplant Parmesan

I'm on a mission to convince hubby that a meal does not necessarily have to include meat to be considered complete.  Ok, to be honest, I'm on a mission to convince myself of this too; I just think I'll be an easier sell.  Even though I was nervous to start with an eggplant dish since I've never eaten it before myself, I decided to do so for two reasons: Alex has had eggplant parmesan before and likes it and anything smothered in that much cheese has to taste good.

Recipe: (from the Williams-Sonoma website) - Seriously, check this website out.  It is a treasure trove of free gourmet recipes!  Yes, some are comeplicated, but sometimes it's worth a try.

2 eggplants, about 1 pound each
sea salt to taste
olive oil for frying
2 1/2 cups tomato sauce (I used one full jar from Whole Foods)
1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced (I cheated and used a bag of shredded)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese

Trim the eggplants then cut crosswise into slices 1/4 inch thick.  Layer in a colander over a plate, sprinkling each layer with salt.  Let sit for 30 minutes. 

 (Diva Note: The recipe did not explain what this step was for, so I looked it up.  Thank you Google.  Apparently it pulls out some of the water and drains the initial bitter flavor of the eggplant.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and have a 9 x 13 baking dish ready.  Line a large tray or baking sheet with paper towel and set near stove.

Rinse eggplant slices carefully in cold water and dry using paper towel.  Pour olive oil (about 1/2 inch deep) into a frying pan with high sides.  Heat oil on high.  Once fully heated, place eggplant slices into oil in batches until lightly golden brown on both sides (about 10 minutes).  Transfer the slices to the prepared tray in order to drain.  Continue frying remaining slices the same way.

Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. 

Cover the sauce with a layer of eggplant slices, layering slightly.  Follow with about 1/3 of the mozzarella, 1/3 of the sauce, and 1/3 of the parmesan.  Make a total of three layers, ending with the parmesan.

Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is slightly browned on top, about 45 minutes.  Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve on it's own or with a side of pasta.  (You can't expect me to give up meat and carbs in the same meal!)

(Diva Note: Mine only made two total layers.  Not sure why.  I thought this might impact the cooking time, so I set my timer for 30 minutes.  Glad I did!  It was definitely done.  I also didn't use all of the mozzarella cheese.  It really wasn't necessary.  And coming from a cheese-aholic like myself... well...)

Nutritional Information: 
I did input this recipe into Spark Recipes, but I got a little frustrated because the only option for the amount of cheese was in cups... and I just didn't want to figure out how many cups are in a pound.  Slacker.  I know.  But we can assume a few things here.  Great source of veggies.  Tomato sauce is super healthy as long as it isn't one with a ton of sugar and salt added to it, so find the 'purest' tomato sauce you can if not making your own.  And even if you don't use all of that cheese... that is a lot of cheese, so  the calories, fat, and cholesterol are not going to be super low.   Healthiest vegetarian meal out there? Clearly, no.  Baby steps for these carnivores.

Verdict:
The taste pleasantly surprised me.  (Also, I was surprised to find that eggplants are not purple inside.  Surprised and a bit disappointed.  Oh well.)  The cheese was of course gooey and delicious.  I was really happy with the flavor of the sauce, so I think I've found a new go-to emergency jarred sauce.  I also made a concious effort to eat some of the eggplant that was not smothered in sauce and/or cheese, and I liked it.  It really didn't have an overpowering flavor of any kind.  I for one was stuffed, did not get hungry later in the evening, and did not feel 'cheated' because my dinner didn't include meat.  I did some research online while it was cooking though, and I found some lightened versions, so if I go for eggplant parmesan again, I'll give those a whirl.  It's not an easy prep (about two hours from start to finish), and it's not an easy clean-up with at least three pans, four if you make a side of pasta, but sometimes the effort is worth it.

Hubby's comment? "This is really good, but you know what would go well with it?  Grilled chicken or some ground turkey in the sauce."

Sigh....  Guess we still have some convincing to do on this whole occasional vegetarian meal thing...