FC Day 6 - Baked Eggplant Parmesan

The food calendar got a little off track on Friday, as our Thursday night dinner was pushed to Friday. But fear not, I was able to get all caught up by the end of the weekend! K & I will be taking the Eggplant Parmesan to work for lunch tomorrow...but hey, I got it cooked and that's what counts, right??

I can't recall having this dish the standard (i.e. fried) way, so I can't compare the taste, but awhile back I was looking for something to make for dinner for our Vegetarian friends, while still keeping it healthy. This is what I found, and everyone seemed to enjoy it.
 

Baked Eggplant Parmesan 

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant
• 3 egg whites
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, (1 ounce), divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups Tomato-basil pasta sauce
• 3/4 cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese, (3 ounces)

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Coat baking sheet and an 8-by-11 1/2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Peel Eggplant and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Whisk egg whites and water in a shallow dish until frothy. Combine breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, salt and pepper in another shallow dish. Dip the eggplant slices into the egg-white mixture, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. 
3. Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, turn the eggplant slices over, and bake until crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.
4. Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange half of the eggplant slices over the sauce, overlapping slightly. Spoon 1 cup of the remaining sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese. Add a layer of the remaining eggplant slices and top with the remaining sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 to 20 minutes.