Individual Roasted Eggplant Parmigiana
Individual Roasted Eggplant Parmigiana. There is nothing more delicious than a layer of golden eggplant slices topped with fresh tomato sauce, basil, and melted cheese! Easy to make as individual eggplants parmigiana’s and baked until the cheese is melted, makes them nothing less than PERFECT!
We wanted to take our Mom’s recipe for her Eggplant Parmesan and reduce the fat and calories by roasting the eggplant in the oven (not fried), and without sacrificing taste!
Simple and easy method, we decided to cut our eggplants into large layers and roast them for 15 minutes on both sides.
Then instead of creating layers over layers and smothering the entire dish with tomato sauce and tons of cheese making one large casserole as Mom did, we decided to layer them individually creating mini individual eggplant parmigiana’s.
And, they turned out better than we expected!
This is a fabulous eggplant dish! Your family and friends will enjoy these light and flavorful individual eggplant parms. Ideal for weight watchers points!
Serve as a side dish or as a main with a salad and make it a healthy light and meatless dinner.
Individual Roasted Eggplant Parmigiana is delicious tasting, low in fat, and low in calories. It’s perfect! Easy casserole to roast, bake, and serve! Try it!
Enjoy!
*You can follow along with our step-by-step directions, or jump down to the bottom of our post for our full recipe card!
Individual Roasted Eggplant Parmigiana- Lightened & Low-Fat!
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2 eggplants -cut into 1/2 inch thick (about 22 slices)
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olive oil cooking spray
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1 can (28 ounces) whole or crushed tomatoes
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5 garlic cloves – chopped
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3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
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1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
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a handful of fresh basil
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2 Tbsp. grated Pecorino cheese
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2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
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1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Lightly spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray.
3. Place the eggplant side by side and roast for 15 minutes. Turn them over and roast for 15 minutes longer. Remove from the oven. Repeat again with the rest of eggplant slices until all are roasted.
4. In the meantime, in a large skillet, heat olive oil, add the garlic and red pepper. Sauté for a few minutes until the garlic is golden. Add the tomatoes, salt, and basil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring, until it thickens slightly. Turn off heat.
5. Change the temperature of the oven to 375 degrees. In the same roasting pan or in a shallow baking dish, place the first layer of eggplant slices on the bottom of the dish. Then top each slice with tomato sauce, pecorino cheese, and some shredded mozzarella.
6. Repeat with the second layer on top, adding some sauce, a sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and then some shredded mozzarella cheese on top.
7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the top is golden and the cheese is melted. Remove from oven, let stand for a few minutes before serving.
Yields: 11 mini individual eggplant parmigiana’s
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Yield: 11 mini individual eggplants
Individual Roasted Eggplant Parmigiana - Lightened & Low-Fat!
Individual Roasted Eggplant Parmigiana. We wanted to take our Mom's recipe for her eggplant Parmesan and reduce the fat and calories by roasting them individually, then topping each one with sauce and cheese and bake until cheese melts. They turned out light, delicious, and fun to eat!!
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Total Time
45 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants -cut into 1/2 inch thick (about 22 slices)
- olive oil cooking spray
- 1 can (28 ounces) whole or crushed tomatoes
- 5 garlic cloves - chopped
- 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
- a handful of fresh basil
- 2 Tbsp. grated Pecorino cheese
- 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Lightly spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray.
- Place the eggplant side by side and roast for 15 minutes. Turn them over and roast for 15 minutes longer. Remove from the oven. Repeat again with the rest of eggplant slices until all are roasted.
- In the meantime, in a large skillet, heat olive oil, add the garlic and red pepper. Sauté for a few minutes until the garlic is golden. Add the tomatoes, salt, and basil.
- Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring, until it thickens slightly. Turn off heat.
- Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. In the same roasting pan or in a shallow baking dish, place the first layer of eggplant slices on the bottom of the dish. Then top each slice with tomato sauce, pecorino cheese, and some shredded mozzarella.
- Repeat with the second layer on top, adding some sauce, a sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and then some shredded mozzarella cheese on top.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the top is golden and the cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven, let stand for a few minutes before serving.
- Yields: 11 mini individual eggplant parmigiana's
Can you freeze and reheat??
Hi Karen, we usually make these individual eggplants and serve them on the same day. Some recipes do not entirely turn out great when frozen, and then reheated. But, if you prefer to freeze leftovers, you can. And reheat them in the microwave after they are fully thawed. I hope this helps!:)
Do we need to salt the eggplant & let it sit to remove bitterness or it is not necessary?
Hi Silvy! Our mother always did that with the large eggplants. But personally, I never thought it was necessary to do that. And definitely, you won’t need to salt with the Italian or Japanese (purple color) eggplants; they happened to be the one’s sweeter tasting. And as always, the tomato sauce and fresh basil give enough sweetness to them when baking. I hope this helps! 🙂
What a simplified way to prepare this dish! I've tried frying the eggplant before baking but love the roasting method much better. My mouth is watering!
We used to fry eggplant all the time, but now I find it so much easier baking it and much healthier way to eat it. Enjoy!
Thanks for sharing this one; I've had eggplant on my mind lately and this recipe has put me right over the edge, which in this case is a very good thing! Lovely post.
Thanks Dan! Have a great week!
This looks so delicious. Thank you for sharing. Eggplant is a vegetable that I have never worked with before, but after looking at your recipe, I will have to try it. One question…how can I tell if the eggplant is ripe, but not too ripe?
Thank Kelli ! The eggplant has to be firm when you try to squeeze it in your hand. Also, it is always best to find the ones that feel lighter in weight. These are the ones with less seeds inside and are more tasty as well.
Love the simplicity and the presentation. Love Italian food! I could be a very fat, happy Italian wife – just give me some red wine, a hunk of bread. You have the best recipes!
Tricia, you crack us up! Lol..we love your comments, they always make us smile! Thanks and have a great day!
Loved seeing this one again. It sounds amazing. Does the eggplant get watery? I guess after roasting the water is gone. Hope you're having fun and hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Hi Tricia ! With our experience, in order to keep them from getting watery it's best to Roast them rather than baking them, it tends to dry them out, making them easier to work with in this recipe.
Thanks Mary! I hear ya, you are so sweet! Thanks,
I love the shapes of the eggplant you used! So different and anything low fat I am all over!
Looks so delicious – love that you used low skim mozzarella
Mary x
They're so pretty, plus they're skinny?! I'm so making these soon 🙂
This is beautiful and sounds tasty!
absolutely love this recipe, served to guest one being vegan!