Grilled Eggplant Parmigiana
Am I the only person out there who feels like she hasn’t eaten a vegetable in weeks? In an effort to remedy the guilt and the bloat that have been haunting me since Thanksgiving, I decided to make my favorite Grilled Eggplant Parmigiana. This recipe is much lighter than the traditional Italian dish, yet still as tasty.
Ingredients:
- 3 small purple eggplants
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp canned garlic
- 1 tbsp shallots
- 1 tbsp Tuscan seasoning
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- dash of red Zinfandel
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 c bread crumbs
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella
Preheat oven to 375*. Cut tops and bottoms off of eggplants. Slice eggplants into 3 equal pieces. Spray a cookie sheet or a grill pan with non-stick cooking oil. Lay eggplants flat. Cook for 12 minutes on one side, flip, then cook for 12 minutes on other side. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil. Add garlic and shallots and cook for 5 minutes. Pour in tomatoes, Tuscan seasoning, red pepper and Zin, and stir. Let the sauce simmer as the eggplant cooks. After the eggplant is baked, pull it out of the oven and increase heat to 400. Cover eggplants with sauce; reserve leftover sauce for finished product. Slice the mozzarella ball into 9 even slices. Top eggplants with bread crumbs and mozzarella. Bake for 10 more minutes, till cheese is brown and bubbly.
Serves: 4-6; Time: 40ish minutes
Wine pairing: Zinfandel (I’m a fan of Ravenswood)
Original recipe (which involves an actual grill): http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Grilled-Eggplant-Parmigiana-238668
