EGGPLANT AND ZITI PARMESAN

EGGPLANT AND ZITI PARMESAN

Serves 5.

Cost per serving: $1.47. This is from "Jane Brody's Good Food Cookbook."

• 11/4 lb. (about) eggplant, peeled and sliced 1/4 in. thick

• Salt

• 2 c. ziti or other pasta, uncooked (for 4 c. cooked)

• 1 to 2 tbsp. oil

• Black pepper, to taste

• 11/3 c. low-fat cottage cheese or skim-milk ricotta

• 1 c. grated Parmesan, divided

• 1/4 c. minced fresh parsley or 1 tbsp. dried parsley flakes

• 1/2 tsp. dried basil

• 1/4 tsp. hot red pepper flakes, optional

• 2 c. tomato sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Arrange eggplant slices in a colander. Sprinkle salt over each layer of slices and let drain for half an hour. Rinse and pat dry with a paper towel.

Cook the eggplant in one of two ways: Combine 1 tablespoon of the oil and the pepper and garlic, and smear over the slices and broil 4 inches from the heat, turning once, for a total of about 5 minutes. Do not let the slices burn. You may need to do two batches.

Or, combine 1 tablespoon of oil and the pepper and garlic in a large skillet and fry the eggplant gently for about 2 minutes on each side, adding up to 1 more tablespoon of oil if needed.

Combine the cottage cheese or ricotta, all but 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese, parsley, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes, if using, in a large bowl. Stir in the pasta. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of a 21/2- or 3-quart casserole and add half the ziti-cheese mixture. Follow with a layer of eggplant, then half the remaining tomato sauce. Repeat the layers and top with the remaining two tablespoons of Parmesan. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories400Fat11 gSodium1,300 mg

Protein25 gCholesterol20 mgDietary fiber6 g