Not only is it Monday again, but here in the Northeast we are hunkering down for a blizzard as well! And everybody knows that the only way to fight a storm is to load up on supplies and cook up a storm! (At least everybody seemed to know that at the supermarket I was at with the insanely long lines!!) Anyway, here's a super easy dish that will make dealing with a snowstorm and getting back into the routine of the week a little easier and a whole lot tastier! This Roasted Eggplant Parmigiana is light, utterly comforting and a snap to throw together. Oh yeah, forgot to mention, it's insanely delicious too!

Eggplant parm seems to be everyone's favorite. At parties, it's always the first tray to disappear! The bad news is that the traditional way of preparing it is full of fat and calories, not to mention the messiness and time consuming chore of frying each breaded slice of eggplant, which makes it only a once-in-a while treat and that's a real shame because on its own, eggplant is healthy and a great way to consume less animal protein. This recipe eliminates a lot of the unhealthiness (and a lot of the work too) by having you roast the eggplant before layering it with the tomato sauce and cheese which means you can eat this all the time! Yippee!!

 You start by roasting slices of eggplant brushed with a bit of olive oil and some salt and pepper.

Once they're done, you simply layer them in a casserole dish with some tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan--

Then you pop the whole thing into the oven for another half hour or so and you wind up with a cheesy saucy bubbling dish of eggplant perfection! You can make some pasta or serve this with bread and maybe a salad and you've got a meal that people will rave about, but will leave you with enough energy to shovel! Take care!!

Roasted Eggplant Parmigiana

Makes about 6 servings

Prep Time: 45 minutes (only 10 minutes active time); Cook Time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants

• Olive oil for brushing eggplant slices

• Salt and pepper

• I large jar tomato sauce (If I don't make my own, I use Prego marinara)

• 8-12 oz low-fat shredded mozzarella

• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

The Recipe

1.  Preheat oven to 375ºF.  Slice eggplants into 1/2-3/4 inch rounds and place in a single layer on baking sheets. Season with salt and pepper and brush lightly with olive oil. Turn over and repeat on other side. Roast for about 15 minutes and then flip over. Continue to cook for another 15 minutes or so until the eggplant is softened and golden brown.

2.  Turn the oven up to 400ºF. Spoon some of the tomato sauce onto the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Arrange a layer of eggplant slices and sprinkle with half the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Spoon another layer of tomato sauce over that and repeat entire process with eggplant and cheeses. Spoon remaining sauce over the top in little dollops.

3.  Bake casserole in oven for about 35 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

4.  Serve immediately.  Entire dish can be made except for the baking part, the day before. Just wrapped it well, store it in the fridge and increase the baking time by 5-10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Note:  Recipe loosely based on http://www.annies-eats.com/2014/08/25/skillet-eggplant-parmesan/