Eggplant al Pesto

We had pork chops for dinner tonight and I wanted something nice to have with them besides the fresh steamed broccoli I was planning.  I grabbed a Japanese eggplant in the refrigerator.  Sitting right beside it was my jar of freshly made pesto sauce and thawed spaghetti sauce for tomorrow night.  Voila!  This delightful dish emerged in my head!  I wasn’t sure how the pesto would be and whether I would like it, because fresh basil often doesn’t agree with my stomach.  But I’m here to tell you this was one of the very best eggplant dishes I’ve done in a LONG time!  I used just a hint of pesto sauce.  This is one of those dishes that isn’t so pretty, but it makes up for this photographic flaw in flavor!  DELICIOUS!

This recipe is suitable for Atkins Induction and it freezes well, too!  It is a fairly small side dish recipe, so double the recipe for a large family.  This serves 4 as a veggie side. With the addition of a layer of pre-browned ground beef or ground Italian sausage, this would make a delightful entrée for 2 people.  This makes a delightful appetizer spread for toasted bread as a bruschetta presentation!  Each 1-2 tablespoons as a spread (about 1/4 serving) would contain about 55 cals, 4g fat, 1.6 g carbs, 0.66g fiber, 1g NET CARBS, 1.3 g  protein, 18 mg sodium.

NOTE:  As an alternative method to cut fat grams, you can lightly grease a baking sheet with less oil than indicated, and pre-bake the eggplant before assembling this layered dish (rather than sauteing).  Your call there.

INGREDIENTS:  

8 oz. eggplant, peeled, sliced ¼” thick and then cut into smaller pieces about 1″ in size

3 T. olive oil  [see note in red above]

1 T. my pesto sauce

½ c. low carb spaghetti sauce

1 T. Parmesan cheese, grated

1/3 c. mozzarella cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  If sautéing eggplant, heat oil in non-stick skillet and sauté the eggplant, turning often with a spoon, until it is completely translucent (will be nearly done at this point).  If pre-baking your eggplant, lightly oil a pan and bake/broil the slices on a baking sheet at 350º about 10-20 minutes.  When nearly done, remove from heat.  Place the chopped eggplant in a small casserole-type baking dish (no need to grease the baking dish).  Dot the eggplant evenly with the spaghetti sauce first.  Then dot evenly with the pesto sauce.  Sprinkle on the Parmesan and finally spread the mozzarella evenly on top.  Pop into a 350º oven for about 20-30 minutes.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   As a vegetable dish, this serves 4.  As an entrée (with 6-8 oz. meat added) it serves 2 people.  Each side dish serving (no meat) contains:

214.5 cals, 18.5g fat, 6.3g carbs, 2.63g fiber, 3.67g NET CARBS, 7.08 g protein, 71 mg sodium