We reduced fat by coating the eggplant with egg whites instead of whole eggs and baking, rather than frying, the slices for a lighter version of this classic.

Makes 6 serving

ACTIVE TIME: 25 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 10 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Moderate

2 eggplants (about 2 pounds total)
3 egg whites
3 tablespoons water
1 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1 ounce), divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup slivered fresh basil leaves
2 1/2 cups tomato sauce
3/4 cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese (3 ounces)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat two baking sheets and an 8-by-11 1/2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cut eggplants crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Whisk egg whites and water in a shallow dish until frothy. Combine breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, salt and pepper in another shallow dish. Dip the eggplant slices into the egg-white mixture, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. (Discard any leftover breadcrumbs and egg white.) Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, turn the eggplant slices over, and bake until crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.
3. Stir basil into tomato sauce. Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange half of the eggplant slices over the sauce, overlapping slightly. Spoon 1 cup of the remaining sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese. Add a layer of the remaining eggplant slices and top with the remaining sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 203 calories; 6 g fat (3 g sat, 2 g mono); 13 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrate; 12 g protein; 8 g fiber; 563 mg sodium; 777 mg potassium.


Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (70% daily value), Vitamin A (25% dv), Potassium (22% dv), Calcium (20% dv).

1 1/2 Carbohydrate Servings

I only had 1 eggplant so my husband and I halved the recipe. It was delicious! We will definitely make this again.

Julie, Tempe, AZ

Easy to prepare, a little time-consuming but worth it. Very delicious.

Julie, Tempe, AZ

This dish was delicious - I agree it's a bit of work, but it's worth it. I think baking the eggplant slices first is what makes it taste so great. The only thing I did differently was to add more mozzarella - it just didn't seem like enough as I was spreading it over the top. Then - yum!

Anonymous, Jericho, VT

I absolutely LOVED this. Not only is it healthy, but it makes AWESOME leftovers. For the tomato sauce, I bought a couple of cans of plain tomato sauce (they come in cans next to the diced/crushed tomatoes). I finely chopped some onions and minced some garlic... sauteed it in olive oil, then added the canned tomato sauce. I put in some salt, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, italian spices, etc in the sauce. It was fantastic for the eggplant parm. What's great is that you can make your own favorite tomato sauce for this dish or simply buy it from the shelf. Either way, this recipe is great. My boyfriend gobbled it up and he isn't even a huge fan of eggplant. A hit and we shall be cooking it again!

Amazing! I will be making this again and again., Davenport, IA

I got a wild hair and decided to buy an eggplant... then didn't know how to cook it. I stumbled across this recipe and decided to give it a try. I loved it! It was better than going to a restaurant. Fairly quick and easy to prepare. I used about 2 cups of mozarella cheese and it made it all that much better. Great recipe... I'll definitely be making it again!

Laurie, Holly Springs, NC

This recipe was wonderful. My fiance, who despises most healthy recipes, loved this.

Tracy, Tibbie, AL

I loved this recipe! I halved the recipe, used a touch more sauce than called for, and probably tripled the cheese. I particularly liked the texture of the eggplant and that you can a fried kind of taste without it being greasy. It was a bit time consuming, but I thought it was worth it.

Holley, Tucker, GA

I put more cheese on top than was instructed. Yumboey! We decided this recipe is a "keeper"!

Kathy, Charleston, WV

I know this recipe---its a weight watcher recipe----a favorite of mine.

terri, New York, NY

It was excellent. I used 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and 1/2 cup of panko crumbs and it was great.

Theresa L. Higgins, Streetsboro, OH

Time-consuming but delicious. I used homemade, whole wheat bread crumbs and needed 2 cups to coat all the slices. I would make this again, maybe on a weekend when I have more time.

Beth, Milwaukee, WI