Oven Roasted Eggplant Stacks

Well, here I am.  I survived my 7 day diet of last week.  Phew!  There were times I thought I wouldn’t make it.  LOL  I was hungry and dreaming of things that were not allowed, like mac n cheese, or cake and ice cream, or pizza!

But instead of giving in to temptation, I decided to focus on creating delicious dishes that didn’t rely on all the typical calorie and fat-laden ingredients that I usually use.

I’ve been spending more time in the produce section, picking out seasonal veggies and imagining new ways of making them delectable.

These eggplant stacks came out even better than I imagined.  I made a pizza-esque sauce to enrich the flavor and topped it with a little parmesan cheese.  Lots of flavor + no guilt = Success!  :D

Though I’m not following a “diet” any more, the goal is to continue eating better, using fresh ingredients and more veggies.  This recipe is a keeper

1 med-large eggplant

olive oil

salt

For the Sauce:

1 can plum tomatoes

1/2 onion, diced

2 tsp garlic, chopped

2 T olive oil

fresh basil, chopped

2-3 T Paul Prudhomme’s Pizza & Pasta Magic seasoning

Preheat oven to 425°.  Peel eggplant in strips, leaving 4-6 strips of skin around the vegetable (to keep it intact once it’s been sliced and cooked).  Cut into 1/2″ slices.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large pan and add onions.  Sautée until onions become tender.  Add garlic and continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes or until garlic begins to turn brown.  (do not let burn!)

Add tomatoes (with juice), seasoning and basil.  Using a spatula, break down tomatoes into desired consistency. (I like mine chunky, but tomatoes could be puréed before cooking if preferred.)  Simmer over med-lo heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often.

Coat casserole dish with olive oil.  To build each stack: add eggplant slice, cover in tomato sauce, and top with another eggplant slice, continuing this rotation until desired height is reached.

(Note: the shorter the stack, the easier to eat!)  Top final eggplant slice with tomato sauce and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and add shredded parmesan to top of each stack.  Return to oven for additional 15 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Delicious!  I may do alright after all.  ;)

Do you have any scrumptious veggies dishes?  I’d love for you to share.  I can use all the help I can get!