Tinella Eggplant Parm Lightened Up!

This recipe is inspired by my Grammy and Grampy on my moms side, Joe and Agnes Tinella. Their "Famous" eggplant parmesan has been in our family since I can remember. I remember visiting my Grandparents at their house in Florida and having Eggplant for dinner as our first meal together and leftover Eggplant sandwiches all week for lunch! No one can make it as good as my Grammy and Grampy, but my mom comes pretty close! My mom made two huge batches for my graduation party last weekend and it was a serious hit at the party.

With a few simple swaps I was able to reduce the calories per serving from 388 to 310 and the fat from 20 to 17...not too much of a difference but hey, thats an extra oreo after dinner! Plus this lightened version has an extra 2 g fiber from the white whole wheat flour! And trust me, I wouldn't be posting this if it didn't taste just as delicious! Try stopping at one piece...I dare you ;)

Tinella Eggplant Parm Lightened up 
Serves 6, Prep time 30 min, Cook time 1 hour 

Ingredients: 
3 medium eggplants peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
7 whole large eggs
1/4 cup + 1 T white whole wheat flour
Olive oil cooking spray
2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
4 T grated pecorino romano
2 cups tomato basil sauce ( I like Classico brand, its lighter in sugar and lower in calories)
Dried Spices: oregano, basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt, pepper

In a large bowl beat the eggs with a whisk and gradually beat in the flour. Put eggplant slices into batter and mix until all eggplant slices are coated (I do this with my hands to be gentle).

Heat a large skillet or griddle medium high, spray with olive oil cooking spray, in batches lightly brown the eggplant on both sides ( about 1 minute per side).

Coat the bottom of an oval casserole dish with 1/4 cup tomato sauce. Lay eggplant slices ( they can overlap a bit) to create the first "layer", top eggplant with 1/4 cup sauce, 1/2 cup Mozz, and 1 T Pecorino. Layer eggplant, then 1/2 cup sauce, mozz, and 1 T pecorino. Top the last (top) layer of Eggplant with 1/2 cup sauce, 1/2 cup mozz, and 2 T Romano.

Cover with foil and bake at 375 for one hour or until casserole is bubbly. Brown the cheese under the broiler on high ( keep an eye on it, times will vary but about 1-3 minutes) Let casserole rest at least 5 minutes before cutting.

Mangia! This recipe freezes great as well :)

<3 K