Cook once, eat twice
Make-ahead meals and cooking for the freezer, once relegated to suburban supermoms who had it more together than the rest of us, are now trendy with the healthy-eating crowd. Sure, we call it “meal prep” but it’s pretty much the same thing: Make good food in advance, so that we can eat it sometime in the future.
Cook once but eat twice has long been the battle cry of the make-ahead meal, with Italian comfort foods such as lasagna and eggplant Parmesan perhaps being the poster-children of this eat-one-freeze-one movement.
I used these Italian casseroles as inspiration for my eggplant and spinach Parmesan, a healthy veggie-filled version that is quite easy to pull together, and freezes beautifully.
EGGPLANT AND SPINACH PARMESAN
Serves: 8
2 medium eggplants, about
1 1/2-2 lb (about 700-900 g) total
1 tsp (5 mL) granulated garlic olive oil mister (or non-stick spray)
15-oz (430 mL) container partskim ricotta cheese
1 egg white
1/4 cup (60 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp (10 mL) dried Italian herb seasoning
5 cups (1.25 L) baby spinach
1 cup (250 mL) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese plus
1/4 cup (60 mL) more for topping
4 cups (1 L) prepared marinara sauce (no sugar added)
1 tsp (5 mL) kosher salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Slice eggplant into 1/4-inch (6-mm) slices. Place on a large baking sheet fitted with a baking rack.
2. Sprinkle with half the garlic and 1/4 tsp (1 mL) of the salt, and spray lightly with an olive oil mister. Bake for 10 minutes, and then flip over the slices.
3. Season the second side with the remaining garlic, another 1/4 tsp (1 mL) of salt and spray with olive oil.
4. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until slices are tender, but not falling apart, and then allow to cool enough to handle. Lower the oven temperature to 350 F (175 C).
5. Meanwhile, mix together in a small bowl the ricotta, egg white, Parmesan cheese, Italian herb seasoning, black pepper and remaining salt.
6. Spray the inside of a mediumsized baking or casserole dish. Place 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the marinara sauce at the bottom of the pan.
7. Layer in order: half the eggplant, half the ricotta cheese, half the spinach, half the 1 cup (250 mL) of mozzarella, half the (remaining) sauce.
8. Repeat the layers, ending with sauce. Top with remaining 1/4 cup (60 mL) of mozzarella cheese. Cover with oven safe lid or with foil (spray lightly with oil to avoid sticking) and bake until hot and bubbly, about 45 minutes, removing cover halfway through the baking time. Let sit at least 10 minutes before serving.
Note: The dish will firm up as it cools, if you are trying to cut neater squares.