Eggplant Parmesan My Way

Well, maybe not my way per se because it's a slight adaptation from a recent Bon Apetit recipe.

Basically, they updated the classic Eggplant Parmesan using broiled eggplant as opposed to the battered and fried variety. Since my goal is to make this a delicious, low-carbohydrate meal, I figured I would use the same method. Incidentally, if you happen to have a grill pan, grilled eggplant would be pretty damned delightful as well.

Low-Carbohydrate Eggplant Parmesan

1 medium to large size eggplant, rinsed and cut into 1/4-inch slices
salt

1 1/2 tsp olive oil
5 oz fresh spinach
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 oz feta*
1/2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper
1 egg

1 8 oz can tomato sauce (or Marinara sauce if you don't have tomato sauce on hand)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Sprinkle the eggplant slices on each side with salt and layer on paper towels or on a nice, long cooling rack over the sink to drain. Let these guys sit for about an hour before continuing with them.

In the mean time, make the filling. In a large pan, heat oil and garlic over medium heat. When the garlic begins to sizzle, cook for about 2 minutes to remove some of the intensity. Add the spinach and cook until nearly wilted. Remove from heat (spinach will likely continue to wilt, if not, it's okay, the difference in texture is quite pleasant). Let cool.

In a bowl, combine the cheeses, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the egg and mix until combined. Add the cooled spinach mixture to the filling. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Now back to the eggplant. Once the hour is up, preheat the broiler in your oven. Rinse the excess salt off of the eggplant slices under water and pat dry. Arrange on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Brush olive oil on both sides of eggplant and broil until brown, roughly 3-4 minutes on each side, but don't let these guys out of your sight - there's a hairsbreadth difference between delightfully brown and disgustingly black. Once the slices are finished let them cool until easy to handle.



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a heaping 1-2 tbsp of filling onto the center of each eggplant slice and roll up (I ended up having exactly the right amount - how often does that happen?!). Coat the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan with a little tomato sauce. Place eggplant rolls in dish like so:



Top eggplant rolls with remaining tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. At this point, these guys could be refrigerated for up to a day (as per the Bon Apetit recipe). Bake, covered in foil, for 30 minutes (40 minutes if coming straight from the refrigerator). Remove foil and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes more until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.



These did take some time to make, but they really weren't that complicated. Describing the process, now that was complicated! I had mine with a simply dressed side salad. This makes enough for 3 servings.

Total carbohydrates: 60.
Total fat: 25.

There are more carbohydrates if you use marinara sauce rather than tomato sauce. I have to say that the tomato sauce, after cooking and combining with the parmesan cheese and some of the filling, was incredibly tasty on its own - I think store bought marinara might actually have been overpowering had I used that. Per serving, and I have to say that it makes three hefty servings of three rolls a piece, it breaks down to 20 carbohydrates. This is a bit intense for my cleanse, but it can be a good reward at the end of a long day. Additionally, if you're careful with how much oil you use, this is a very light, but filling, meal as well containing only about 25 grams of fat total, or about 8 grams per serving. I didn't count the calories, but since most calories come from carbohydrates and fats, something tells me it would be pretty light.

*the feta cheese was a total add lib on my part - I had a tiny bit left over in the fridge but figured it would go well with the spinach and garlic and would provide a nice tanginess to the filling