The carb counts are from the containers where possible, and from diet something otherwise (with guesses as to ingredient amounts). Please let me know if you try this and what you think.
Basic ingredients are:
Fried eggplant (and squash, optional)
Marinara sauce
Shredded cheese
Ricotta cheese
Fried eggplant/squash:
3 large eggplants (18 grams...all these numbers refer to grams of carbohydrates
minus grams of fiber)
3 zucchini (6.6 grams)
1/2 lb soy protein (plain) (0 grams??)
12 eggs (7.2 grams)
Herbs and salt and pepper to taste (0 grams)
Olive oil (lots) (0 grams)
Marinara sauce:
2 1/2 16 oz jars (90 grams or less--2 jars were homemade sauce with lots of squash and mushrooms so they had fewer carbs but I'm counting it as if it were all the store bought brand (Trader Joe's Organic Low-Fat Marinara)
Shredded cheese:
3 lbs cheese (28.8 grams). I hand-grated about 2 lbs of cheese and used about another lb of shredded parmesan and other cheese. I used whatever leftover cheese was in the house. The basics you want though are mozzarella (get it in a chunk, not pre-grated) and parmesan (in a chunk or shredded, not powder).
Ricotta cheese:
3 lbs ricotta cheese (I used part-skim, 45 grams)
Total carb count for 2 big pans full of Eggplant Parmesan = 195.6 Carb count for one humungus serving that would make a meal = 16.3 Carb count for a regular serving = 8.2
Notes on carbs: you can cut out even more by reducing the tomatoes in the marinara sauce. Also, whole-milk ricotta has fewer carbs than part-skim, but I couldn't find any in the store.
How to make it:
Wash your eggplant and squash and slice into rounds about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. No need to peel.
Get a largish bowl and beat the eggs in it. Take a dinner plate with a rim and put the flour in it (you can use wheat flour, rice flour, matzoh meal, or soy, but if you want low carb, use soy protein powder). Add salt and black pepper to taste. Add some dried or finely chopped herbs too. I like sage and dill and oregano, but any Italian herb is fine. Mix with a fork.
Heat olive oil in a flat bottom pan.
Take each piece of eggplant (or squash) and dip it completely in the egg. Then lightly coat both sides of the eggplant with flour and put it into the hot pan. Cook at high heat until golden brown on each side, remove to a plate with a paper towel on it.
Note: this part is harder than it looks. If you can handle 2 pans at once, it will save you tons of time. But it's best to either be experienced at this or to have a helper. When I was growing up, my mom made this dish all the time and I was her helper. It's best also not to crack all the eggs or pour all the flour at once. Do it in batches.
When the eggplant is done, heat the oven to 350 degrees (anything between 325 and 375 would be fine). Get out a couple large laganza pans and prepare to layer.
Start with a bit of sauce. This keeps the dish from burning. Line the bottom of the pan with large, unbroken pieces of eggplant. Cover all the holes but keep everything to one layer (a bit of overlap is okay).
Spoon ricotta cheese on the eggplant and spread it so you have a layer about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
Add a thin layer of shredded cheese.
Add a layer of sauce, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
Repeat until the pan is full. 2 or 3 layers of eggplant is best. Make your top layer shredded cheese and your second to top layer eggplant. The order of the layers doesn't really matter; do what seems right to you.
Cover the pan lightly with tin foil (don't tuck it in tight) and put in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes...but the time will depend on how watery your sauce is and how thick the pan is. When the dish is not watery and the cheese is melting, remove the tin foil and bake another 10 minutes or so until the cheese is well melted but not brown.
This recipe serves a small army. Feel free to adapt it to your needs. I like to make a lot at one time and freeze it (cut to single serving size and wrap in tin foil). Variations on the recipe would include a layer of spinach in-between other layers, mushrooms, or even *gasp* meat in the sauce. Enjoy.
[Note: after tasting I think it would be better with maybe half again as much pasta sauce, but it was fine the way it was too.]
(posted to alt.support.diet.low-carb 8/14/98)
2/28/99