Eggplant Parm with Homemade Marinara... shut. yo. mouth. or... open it!

Here's the deal... I've tried eggplant on numerous occasions, several different ways. Italian Eggplant Parmesan the fattening way. Middle Eastern Babaganoush. Indian Baingan Bharta (Eggplant Curry). Ratatouille. Baked Eggplant tossed with other baked veggies and ricotta cheese and still... still... the texture kills me.

I have a part time job at a family owned food market in the produce department and we were given a grand tasting tour of exotic vegetables and fruits with free take home samples. So, I took home a bunch of stuff. I also took home Japanese eggplant.

Now, the Japanese variety is a lot smaller and the rind is a thinner but it's still a dark purple. So, I decided to give it one last shot...

And I liked it! Of course, you can coat pretty much anything in Panko and it will taste good. Regardless, here are some recipes.

JAPANESE EGGPLANT PARMESAN

2 - 3 medium Japanese eggplant

1/2 c. Panko Japanese bread crumbs

2 tbsp. grated reduced fat Parmesan cheese (20 calories per tbsp.)

1 cup homemade marinara (see recipe below)

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp. dried basil

Makes 2 small servings - 180 calories each

Feel free to double, triple or quadruple this batch.

This is super easy.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice eggplant in 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle tops of slices with sea salt (this will help bring out some of the moisture). You can also add pasta to this for added calories and carbs. Beat the egg and set it aside on a small plate. Mix Panko, basil, and Parmesan cheese and set aside on another small plate. Dip eggplant slices into egg, then Panko mixture and set onto Olive oil sprayed cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes on one side and flip, bake another 8 minutes. Divide half, and top each half with 1/2 cup of marinara.

Even easier... Marinara!

5 INGREDIENT MARINARA 

1 large can of diced tomatoes (do not drain)

1.5 tbsp. chopped garlic (use fresh or jarred)

1 tbsp. Italian seasoning

1 tbsp. dried basil

1/4 cup diced yellow onion

Makes about 7 1/2 cup servings - 30 calories each (less than half of store bought!)

Toss all ingredients into a sauce pan on medium. Once it comes to a simmer lower heat by half. Allow to simmer 20-30 minutes for all flavors to marry. I like my marinara chunky - you can easily do this with a potato masher. If you like yours smoother, toss into a food processor or blender.