Eggplant Parmigiana

Eggplant Parmigiana is one of my favorite Italian dishes. But, I never order it when we go out because it is too much for me and it is deep fried eggplant. Eggplant parmigiana is battered and breaded eggplant that is fried, then layered with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. I made some changes to this recipe to make it less fattening.  I used home grown eggplant and avoided egg. I air fried the eggplant instead of deep frying it.

Ingredients:
2 Cup seasoned bread crumbs, Italian style
2 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 Italian eggplant
2 1/2 Cup canned tomato sauce or marinara sauce
1 Cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
For batter:
1/3 Cup corn flour
1/4 Cup all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon milk powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Cup water ( more if required )


Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat a 8.8.2-inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Set aside.

2. Combine bread crumbs,Parmesan cheese, seasoning and chili flakes in a medium bowl. Set aside.

3. Prepare a slightly thick batter with corn flour, all purpose flour, milk, water, and salt.

                                               

4. Peel the eggplant and trim off ends; slice eggplant into 1/2 inch thick slices. 

5. Arrange the eggplant on a plate in a single layer,sprinkle a little salt, cover and microwave for a minute. Repeat the process for all the slices. 

6. Dip eggplant in the batter, and then coat both sides with bread crumbs mixture. 

            

  

7. Arrange the battered eggplants on a baking sheet.

                                                                  

8. Bake eggplant on a non-stick cookie sheet coated lightly with cooking spray until lightly browned, about 20 minutes, flipping once. Alternately, you can air fry battered eggplants. spray the eggplants with oil on both sides. Air fry at 400 for 15 minutes, flipping in between, until golden brown. The first batch might take a little longer to cook. You can avoid step 5 if you are going to air fry.

                                                              

9. Place a layer of eggplant on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.  Add 1/3 of tomato sauce and 1/3 of mozzarella cheese.  Repeat with another  layer in same order.  

                                       

10. Bake until cheese is melting and sauce is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Serve hot with garlic bread and pasta.