Sicilian Eggplant Parmagiana With Spinach Recipes

SICILIAN ROAST STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450F
• Prick the skin of the eggplants and place on rack in the upper half of the oven and roast 20 minutes
• Remove the eggplant and cool 10 minutes to handle
• Heat EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat
• Add the onions, garlic, celery and cubanelle peppers, and let them cook while you cut up the eggplant
• Split the eggplants in half lengthwise and cut away the meat from the inside, keeping a little edge to the skins for stability
• Place the eggplant halves on a baking sheet then coarsely chop the eggplant and add it to the veggies in the skillet
• Add the roasted red peppers and season everything with salt and pepper
• Cook 5 minutes then add nuts, capers and olives
• Drain the tomatoes in a colander over a bowl and stir them up with a wooden spoon to coarsely crush them
• Add the tomatoes to the skillet and a few spoonfuls of the sauce just to moisten the veggies
• Wilt the basil into the vegetables, then fill the eggplant halves with the veggie mixture
• Top with sliced mozzarella and place the halves back in the oven 10 minutes to melt the cheese and set the filling
• Serve a stuffed half eggplant per person with crusty bread for mopping alongside

MELANZANA ALLA PARMIGIANA (PERFECT EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA)

Steps:

• Heat about 1 inch extra-virgin olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Pat eggplant slices dry with a paper towel and fry eggplant in batches in the hot oil until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer eggplant to a paper towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon; season with salt.
• Combine tomato puree (passata), 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic, salt, and 4 basil leaves in a saucepan; simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove garlic from sauce.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking dish.
• Place a layer of fried eggplant in the baking dish and cover with a layer of tomato sauce. Top with a layer of mozzarella cheese, oregano, Parmesan cheese, and chopped basil leaves, in that order. Continue layering in the same order with remaining ingredients, ending with a layer of mozzarella cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until heated through and cheeses are melted, about 40 minutes. Let stand a few minutes before slicing.

LOW FAT CHEESY SPINACH AND EGGPLANT LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Drop lasagna noodles into water and add 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Cook until noodles are tender but still slightly firm, about 8 minutes.
• Drain water from the noodles and let cool.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Cook and stir garlic and eggplant chunks until eggplant is partially cooked, about 7 minutes.
• Pour tomato sauce into the skillet and simmer until eggplant is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Combine ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, black pepper, and egg in a bowl.
• Mix spinach into ricotta cheese mixture.
• Spread a layer of tomato sauce mixture into the bottom of a 9x12-inch baking dish.
• Place 4 noodles on top of the sauce, overlapping if necessary.
• Spoon 1/3 of the remaining tomato sauce over noodles.
• Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the tomato sauce
• Repeat layers twice more, starting with noodles and following with sauce and ricotta mixture.
• Top the lasagna with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven until the ricotta filling is set and mozzarella cheese topping is lightly browned, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

SICILIAN EGGPLANT PARMAGIANA WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Salt eggplants all over with 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Layer in a large colander set in the sink. Lay a plate over the eggplant and weight the top with cans to help press out excess liquid. Let drain about ½ hour, then rinse and pat dry.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large shallow bowl, toss together the breadcrumbs, 2 cups of the grated cheese and 1 cup of the olive oil. Season with ½ teaspoon salt. In another shallow bowl, beat the eggs and milk with a pinch of salt. Spread the flour on a plate.
• Dredge the eggplant slices in flour, egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing in the crumbs to make sure they adhere. Lay the eggplant slices on parchment lined sheet pans, without touching. Bake eggplant, rotating the sheet pans halfway through baking, until cooked through and crumbs are crisp and golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add smashed garlic and sauté until just golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the spinach with any water clinging to the leaves, season with remaining ½ teaspoon salt, cover and cook until wilted, about 3 to 4 minutes. Check occasionally to make sure the bottom of the pan is not dry, adding water a tablespoon at a time if necessary. Once the spinach is wilted, uncover and cook until spinach is tender and excess water is gone, about 4 minutes.
• To assemble the eggplant, spread ¾ cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of a 10-by-15-inch baking dish. Add half of the baked eggplant, in an even layer. Spread with 1 cup marinara. Sprinkle with ½ cup grated Grana Padano. Sprinkle with half the shredded mozzarella. Spread all of the spinach in one layer. Spread with 2 more cups marinara. Sprinkle with the remaining grated mozzarella and ½ cup grated Grana Padano. Top with an even layer of the remaining eggplant. Spread remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with remaining grated Grana Padano. Tent the baking dish with foil, so it is not touching the cheese and bake until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until cheese is browned and crusty and sauce is bubbling all over, another 15 minutes. Let cool and set 5 to 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

SICILIAN STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Halve the eggplants lengthwise. Run a small sharp knife 1/2 inch in from the edges of the cut side of each eggplant. Scoop out the insides of the eggplants with a spoon and reserve, leaving 1/2 inch thick shells. Sprinkle 1 teaspoons salt into the eggplant shells and invert on paper towels while preparing the filling.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Make the filling: Coarsely chop the reserved eggplant. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and chopped eggplant and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients with the remaining salt. Place the eggplant shells, cut side up, in a 13x9 inch baking dish. Mound the filling in each shell. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoons of oil. Pour water into the pan to a depth of 1/2 inch. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake for 10-15 minutes more, or until the edges of the eggplant are tender and the bread crumbs are very lightly browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.