Low Carb Vegetarian Baked Eggplant (Lean & Green With Meat Option)

 

This is a quick, simple & delicious meal!

Ingredients:

One 1 pound eggplant

1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

olive oil cooking spray

3/4 cup fat free cottage cheese or part skim ricotta cheese*

1 egg

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning**

1/4 chopped green onion

3 tablespoons shredded parmigiano cheese

1 cup Victoria or other low carb marinara sauce

8 ounces reduced fat mozzarella cheese, grated*

2 cups lettuce, optional

3/4 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes, optional

4 tablespoons Walden Farms 0 calorie salad dressing, optional

Method:

Preheat oven to 400*. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel the eggplant and cut into 1/2 inch thick circle slices. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Lightly spray with the olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes.

Lightly spray a 9 inch square pan with the olive oil and set aside.

Add the cottage cheese, egg, lemon zest, Italian seasoning, onion and parmigiano cheese to a medium bowl. Use an electric mixer to thoroughly blend the ingredients.

Spread 1/4 cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the square baking dish. Place half of the eggplant slices on top of the sauce. Layer the cheese mixture on top of the eggplant. Top with the remaining slices of eggplant. Spoon the 3/4 cup of marinara over the eggplant. Sprinkle the grated mozzarella evenly over all of the layers. Place the baking dish on a cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is golden. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. 

Cut into four equal portions. Makes 4 servings

*Full fat cheeses may be used if you are not following a low fat meal plan.

**Here is a simple recipe for homemade Italian Seasoning:  https://carriekitchencreations.blogspot.com/2019/09/homemade-italian-blend-seasoning-gluten.html

Variation with Meat: Add a layer of cooked ground meat (5 to 7 ounces depending of how lean the meat is) on top of the layer of cheese mixture and sprinkle with 4 ounces mozzarella instead of 8 ounces.

For a complete Lean & Green meal, add 1/2 cup salad greens, 1/4 of the tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of dressing to each portion of baked eggplant. Equals: 1 lean, 3 green & 3 condiments

Nutritional info per vegetarian serving, with a tiny salad, approximately: 298.56 calories ~ 15.6 grams fat ~ 20.9 grams carbs ~ 16.2 grams net carbs ~ 22 grams protein

Nutritional info per serving with meat, with a tiny salad, approximately: 344.88 calories ~ 16.8 grams fat ~ 19.3 grams carbs ~ 14.6 grams net carbs ~ 31.4 grams protein

Notes: I do not like mushy eggplant! This cooking method makes a perfect, fully cooked eggplant with a firm texture. Even though my husband is not a huge fan of eggplant, he really enjoyed this dish. 😀