subscribesubscribe
Make a healthy baked eggplant parmesan with crispy almond flour-coated eggplant slices that are baked — no frying or bread crumbs needed!
Isaac loves eggplant parmesan. His love inspired me to create a healthier homemade version that isn’t fried or loaded down with oil. I decided take things a step further and make this dish grain-free and gluten-free as well by using almond flour instead of bread crumbs. If you have a nut allergy or don’t have almond flour on hand, don’t fret! I tested this recipe with almond flour and bread crumbs and both versions turned out perfectly so you can use whichever you prefer!
Obviously we love the final result, but I also have to mention how tasty the baked eggplant is on it’s own! It’s almond flour parmesan coating makes it crispy and so tasty. It would honestly be an awesome appetizer on it’s own, served with a side of tomato sauce for dipping.
Before making eggplant parmesan myself at home I thought it was much harder and required more ingredients than it actually does. Turns out, the process is pretty simple and you need less than 10 ingredients to whip it up. Here’s what you need for this healthier baked version:
Like I mentioned before, the process of making eggplant parm is way easier than I thought! And to keep things really easy, healthier and less messy, we’re baking the eggplant instead of frying it.
First things first, preheat your oven. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray. Next, prep an assembly line for the baked eggplant. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the almond flour, parmesan, Italian seasoning and sea salt. In another shallow bowl whisk the eggs with water, salt and pepper.
Dip the eggplant slices into the egg wash and let the excess liquid drip away. Then sprinkle a little of the almond flour parmesan mixture on each side. I highly recommend sprinkling it rather than dredging the wet eggplant slices into the almond flour mixture. This keeps the dry mixture from getting too wet, which results in a clumpy mixture that won’t stick to the eggplant!
Place the coated eggplant slices onto the baking sheet and spray tops lightly with cooking spray (which helps with browning!). Bake until the eggplant slices are soft on the inside and golden and crispy on the outside, about 30 minutes, flipping around the 15 minute mark.
When the eggplant slices are done baking, it’s time to layer! Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce to the bottom of a large baking dish. Add an even layer of baked eggplant slices. Add another 1 cup of sauce. Top with mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Top with another layer of baked eggplant slices and another cup of sauce. The final layer will be the mozzarella and parmesan cheese and the rest of the fresh basil. Phew! So many delicious layers. Bake the eggplant parmesan dish uncovered until the top is bubbly and golden.
That’s it! Remove the eggplant parmesan from the oven, cut, serve and enjoy.
If you don’t eat dairy I recommend finding a dairy-free shredded mozzarella. There are quite a few brands on the market now, including Daiya Foods. And for the parmesan, you can try my vegan parmesan made with hemp seeds.
Leave a Comment
My sister in law decided to make this as we had a neighbor give us some home grown eggplants. The recipe was easy to follow. We used Rao’s Marinara Sauce along with fresh cheeses and basil from our garden. It turned out soooo delicious and our kids even tried it and like it. Cheers to you and your recipes, Brittany!!!
Yay!! So glad this recipe was a success, Monica! Thanks so much for trying it and coming back to leave a review and star rating. I really appreciate it!!
Best and healthiest eggplant Parmesan ever! I’ve made this numerous times and it turns out delicious every time. Using almond flour with Parmesan cheese and Italian herbs creates a crisp, delicious crust. I then use Rao’s tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese between layers. . Sometimes I’ll add some spinach between layers in addition to the fresh basil leaves.
We love this recipe! Thank you for sharing it!
Woo!! I’m so glad this eggplant parmesan was a hit, Helaine! Thanks for trying it and coming back to leave a review!!
I somehow missed most of step one when I read the recipe and (a) used foil instead of parchment paper and (b) forgot to oil it. D’oh! Thankfully I was able to rescue the eggplant slices and make what was possibly the best eggplant Parmesan I’ve ever had. As a vegetarian in the New York area, I know my eggplant parm! And this is *infinitely* cleaner than any restaurant eggplant Parmesan you’ll ever have. Thank you for the excellent recipe!
Woo!! So glad this recipe was a hit, Adria! Thanks for the review. I really appreciate it!
Excellent recipe. First time I used eggplant in a recipe. I used a 8×8 dish last night. In your recipe you say large baking dish, I was wondering how big is the dish you used for this recipe? 9×13?
Yes, 9×13! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Maria. Thanks for making it!
Lovely easy recipe. From habit, I have salted the eggplant and before putting the slices into the egg I have dried them with paper toweIs. I used glutenfree bread crumbs instead of almond flour and for the marinara simple tomato passata with boasting it some garlic, oregano, marjoram and pepper. During the layering process, as I had some leftover from the breadcrumbs mix, I spreaded it to the top of the meal. It gives some extra crunchy taste with the melted cheese.
So glad you loved this recipe, Adrienn! Thanks for making it and leaving a review. I appreciate it!