This eggplant Parm is a time saver
Spinach-rich dish is healthier, too, thanks to a few nutrient-packed recipe hacks
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 makeahead meal with Italian comfort foods such as lasagna and eggplant Parmesan perhaps being the poster children of this eat-one-freeze-one movement.
So I overhauled these Italian casseroles into my Eggplant and Spinach Parmesan, a healthier veggie-filled version that is quite easy to pull together and freezes beautifully.
To make my healthy tweaks, I focused on an eggplant Parmesan dish, simply because I felt the pasta would be missed less.
The eggplant, usually breaded and fried, was simply seasoned and roasted and no one in my family missed the extra breadcrumbs or oil.
I added in baby spinach, which
contributed nutrients, but also a nice layered lasagna-like element to the dish.
Without actual pasta, though, I knew I needed to keep some serious cheese.
Using part-skim ricotta as the main component worked well and I boosted the flavour with just a little
bit of nutty Parmesan and a reasonable quantity of mozzarella for melty, stretchy goodness.
Luckily, marinara needs no makeover as long as you buy or make one without extra sugar or preservatives. My version is vegetarian, but feel free to add a pound of lean, browned ground turkey or beef if you want.
The recipe makes enough for eight, so a small family can freeze half for a second meal or divide up leftovers into individual servings for DIY single-serving frozen meals.
You can also double the recipe and really load up that freezer.
Eggplant and Spinach Parmesan
Servings: 8
Start to finish: 90 minutes
2 medium eggplants, about 11/2-2 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 partskim mozzarella cheese plus 1/4 cup (60 mL) additional 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
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.
Sprinkle with half the garlic and 1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) of the salt and spray lightly with an olive oil mister. Bake for 10 minutes and then flip over the slices.
Season the second side with the remaining garlic, another 1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) of salt and spray with olive oil.
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).
Meanwhile, mix together in a small bowl the ricotta, egg white, Parmesan cheese, Italian herb seasoning, black pepper and remaining salt.
Spray the inside of a medium-sized baking or casserole dish. Place 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the marinara sauce at the bottom of the pan.
Layer in order: Half the eggplant, half the ricotta cheese, half the spinach, half the cup (250 mL) of mozzarella, half the (remaining) sauce.
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.