I was really excited to see a healthy twist on a classic from a top chef. Bobby Flay’s Eggplant Parmesan was a sneak peek from his book, Bobby Flay Fit. While this dish was definitely a lower fat option that didn’t leave you feeling hungry, with a sprinkle of panko and baked eggplant instead of a whole breaded-fried production, it still managed to feel like I was settling. See below on how to kick it back up to a top rating without going full blown fat-fest.
Rating: B
How to make it an A+: Since you’re not making the sauce, choosing a good one really makes or breaks this dish. If you can’t find roasted red pepper pasta sauce, any sauce will do. I chose a garden vegetable variety. I found that the recipe calls for a lot of salt and pepper, though, so either skimp on those, or just make sure the sauce isn’t too powerfully seasoned and can go along with the rest of the ingredients. It’s just all too rich. (Which is not what you would normally expect from a healthy recipe.) While adding additional cheese may be defeating the purpose of this lower fat dish, the richness could use some clean slabs of mozzarella or spoonfuls of ricotta. Add in layers or even top with a cold slice of mozz or dollop the ricotta right on top.
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