Light Eggplant Parmesan

I was in the mood for eggplant parmesan from one of my favorite restaurants in downtown Kalamazoo, Mangia Mangia. SO, I took it upon myself to scour this here interweb for a light version to try out. There were quite a few people ranting and raving about Moosewood's Eggplant Parmesan and tomato wine sauce, so I tried it out with a few minor alterations.

Um... Awesome.

Even two servings of it is still a reasonable dinner! It was great the first time, and even better the second time. So here it is. I seriously encourage you to try it. Whether you're trying to watch your calories or not, it is absolutely delicious.

Serves 8.

Tomato Wine Sauce
2tsp olive oil
1 finely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves
2 tsp ground fennel (couldn't find any, so I substituted a cup of chopped, fresh fennel)
1tsp dried oregano
1tsp dried basil
1/2 cup red wine (I used a burgundy per the advice of a darling elderly lady in my local super market)
1 can Hunt's whole canned tomatoes (3.5 cups)
pepper to taste

Warm olive oil, onion, and garlic and saute on low heat for 5-7 minutes. Add fennel, oregano and basil for 1 minute. Pour in wine & bring to boil. Blend tomatoes to desired consistency (I like it chunky) and add, simmering for about 20 minutes.

Eggplant Parmesan
1lb eggplant cut crosswise into 1/3" slices
4 egg whites
2 servings (60 chips) Special K Sea Salt Cracker Chips (instead of bread crumbs)
3tbs grated Parmesan cheese
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2tsp dried basil
1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
8oz reduced fat part skim mozzarella cheese
tomato wine sauce

Preheat oven to 375.

Slice eggplant and set aside. Find a bowl in which the eggplant rounds can lie flat and lightly beat hte egg whites. Crush Special K chips into bread crumb consistency. In a large bowl, combine the crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and basil.

Dip the eggplant slices on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Should you have any leftover bread crumb mixture, set it aside. Bake eggplant for about 15-20 minutes on each side until tender and easily pierced with a fork.

Spread about half the sauce in the bottom of an 8x12" glass baking dish. Layer about half the eggplant slices on top of the sauce. Spread all the ricotta cheese evenly on the eggplant and top with about 1 1/2 cups mozzarella. Use the rest of the eggplant slices for a second layer. Cover the with remaing sauce and any extra bread crumb mixture. Sprinkle the top with the final 1/2 cup mozzarella and bake, uncovered for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

And, don't forget to drink the rest of the red.