Make This Meal: Chef Meg's Eggplant Napoleon

By , SparkPeople Blogger
This recipe was inspired by moussaka, eggplant Parmesan and lasagna. The result is a light and tasty meatless meal that makes any night a special occasion.

A Napoleon is a traditional French dessert made with layers of puff pastry and a pastry cream, with a thin icing. Napoleons are usually served in small, individual portions, which is perhaps how they resemble their French namesake. A Napoleon outside of desserts has come to refer to any layered dish, in this case, my layered eggplant dish. You could also call this "Eggplant Stacker," but "Eggplant Napoleon" sounds better, doesn't it?

This is a fun way to eat your eggplant. I like to serve it with pork tenderloin or roast chicken and a green pesto whole-wheat pasta. You get three servings of vegetables and almost 25% of your daily fiber requirement in this recipe for only 232 calories. This is a "fancy" meal that can fit into your meal plan even if you plan to have dessert or went a bit overboard earlier in the day.

Get the full recipe here: Eggplant Napoleon

My best tip for this recipe is to remember to keep one hand wet and one hand dry. That is, when you're breading anything, use one hand for touching anything wet (like eggs or milk) and one hand to touch anything dry (like breadcrumbs or flour). This will keep the breading on your food and not your hand! It will also cut down on the mess and cross-contamination.

Remember: Never reuse breadcrumbs or flour that's leftover from coating your food. Even if they look dry, they've been exposed to bacteria. Safety first!

Will you try this recipe?