Eggplant Parmesan is usually made with fried eggplant, tons of mozzarella and Parmesan.
While delicious, the eggplant quickly becomes a sponge for the oil, and with the addition
of mounds of cheese, you end up eating the mother load of fat.
- 2 lbs. eggplant (About 2 medium eggplant)
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 4 cups Panko bread crumbs (try Ian's Panko Breadcrumbs, original or whole wheat)
- 4 tsp. oregano
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper, divided
- 1 cup spelt flour (try Arrowhead Mills)
- 1 cup egg whites
- 6 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 1/2 cups simple tomato sauce (try Middle Earth Organics "Organic Tomato & Fresh
Basil Sauce" - The best jarred tomato sauce I've found)
- 8 large basil leaves
- 1/2 cup firmly packed grated Parmesan cheese
- Chopped basil (optional)
Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Lay out on a large flat surface (large cutting
boards, a baking board, or baking sheets all work well). Sprinkle with half the kosher salt.
Flip, and sprinkle with other half of kosher salt. Layer eggplant in a colander and set over
a large bowl to drain, 1 hour.
Lay out several layers of paper towels, spread out eggplant
slices in a single layer, top with more paper towel, and press down to absorb excess liquid.
Cover two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Place both sheets in oven, each on its own rack,
and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl and combine with oregano,
cayenne pepper, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper. In a large ziplock bag, combine spelt flour and
other 1/4 tsp. black pepper.
Pour egg whites into a shallow bowl and beat with a fork or whisk
until slightly frothy. Working in batches, place eggplant slices in bag with flour, shake to
coat, remove, dip in egg whites, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Set aside onto a plate.
Once you've coated all the eggplant, remove preheated baking sheets from oven, drizzle with 3
Tbsp. olive oil each, tilting to coat completely. Layout eggplant on sheets in a single layer.
Cook 15 minutes, flip eggplant, rotate and switch trays, and cook 15 minutes more. Remove from
oven.
Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in bottom of 13x9 inch baking dish. Layer in half eggplant,
overlapping as necessary. Cover with 1 cup sauce. Layer in remaining eggplant. Drizzle
remaining 1 1/2 cups of sauce. Lay out basil leaves over top. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan
cheese. Readjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Bake eggplant Parmesan 15 minutes.
Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving. It serves 6 people.
