Three Cheese Eggplant Parmesan

I've never eaten an eggplant before this dish—I must say, it was pretty good, although the taste and texture took a little getting used to. This dish was even good microwaved the next day. I recommend serving this with a green salad.

Ingredients
1 Italian eggplant, cut into ¼" thick slices
1 cup panko bread crumbs
⅓ cup unbleached white flour
Salt & pepper, to taste
2 egg whites
¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
½ cup mozzarella cheese
½ cup nonfat ricotta cheese
2 cups jarred marinara sauce
3 cremini mushrooms, sliced

Place the eggplant slices between 2 layers of triple-thick paper towels and press out the water. Let the slices sit for about a half-hour. In a small bowl whisk the egg whites and set aside. On a plate mix together the bread crumbs, flour, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and salt & pepper. Take each slice of eggplant, cover with egg and dredge in the bread crumb mixture and place on a foiled and oiled baking sheet. Bake at 425°F for 30 minutes—turning once (this may have to be done in two batches).

For the sauce, sauté the mushrooms until golden. Off the heat, add the sauce. Set aside.

Assemble the eggplant parmesan in a small pyrex baking dish ( ). In the bottom, an even layer of ⅓ of the sauce. Next a layer of ½ of the eggplant slices, overlapping each other slightly. Then ½ of the ricotta (dotted over the slices), ¼ cup mozzarella, and a sprinkle of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Add a ⅓ of the sauce with a layer of the rest of the eggplant slices. Dot the top with ricotta then add the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella on top. Bake, uncovered, at 425°F for 20 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.

Serves 6; approx. 172 calories/serving, 5g fat, 25g carb