Baked Eggplant Parmesan
195
Published Sep 16, 2019, Updated Sep 02, 2022
This post may include affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
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.
Ingredients in Healthy Eggplant Parmesan
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:
- eggplants
- eggs
- almond flour – if you don’t want to use almond flour you can also use bread crumbs
- cheese – we’re using two different types of cheese, parmesan and mozzarella
- seasonings – Italian seasoning, salt and pepper
- marinara sauce – you can certainly make your own, but I used jarred sauce for mine
- fresh basil – don’t skip the fresh basil. It takes this eggplant parm to another level
How to Make Baked Eggplant Parmesan
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.
Want to Make This Dairy-Free?
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.
Like This Recipe? Here Are More Casserole Recipes You Might Enjoy!
- Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
- Confetti Chicken Casserole
- Cheesy Mexican Quinoa Casserole
- Tuna Noodle Casserole
More Pasta Recipes to Try
- Spaghetti Squash Baked Feta Pasta
- One-Skillet Enchilada Pasta
- Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Creamy Walnut Pasta Sauce with Spaghetti Squash Noodles
- Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta with Tahini Sauce
- Lightened-Up Penne alla Vodka
- Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
Be sure to check out the full collection of dinner recipes on EBF!
Baked Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant or 2 small/medium eggplants, sliced into 1/2″ thick rounds
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup almond flour*
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, divided*
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ground black pepper
- 1 24 ounce jar marinara sauce, (about 3 cups)
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella*
- ⅓ cups thinly sliced basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray. In a shallow bowl, whisk together almond flour, ½ cup Parmesan, Italian seasoning and ½ teaspoon sea salt.
- In another shallow bowl, whisk eggs with 2 Tablespoons water and sprinkle on a little salt and pepper.
- Dip an eggplant slice into the egg wash and let any excess drip off. Then sprinkle the almond flour parmesan mixture over each side of the eggplant slice. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat to coat all eggplant slices. NOTE: Be sure to sprinkle the mixture on 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!
- Spray tops lightly with cooking spray.
- Bake until soft inside, and golden and crisp on the outside, about 30 minutes, flipping around the 15 minute mark.
- In a large baking dish (I used 9×11), add 1 cup of marinara and spread evenly. Add an even layer of baked eggplant slices. If needed, you can cut some of the slices in half to fill the baking dish. Add another 1 cup of sauce and spread evenly over eggplant slices. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella, ¼ cup of the remaining Parmesan and 1/4 cup fresh basil. Top with another layer of baked eggplant slices and spread on 1 cup of sauce. Top with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup parmesan and remaining fresh basil.
- Bake, uncovered, until top is bubbly and golden, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Video
Notes
- If you have a nut allergy, feel free to use 1 cup of bread crumbs instead of the almond flour.
- If you want to keep this dairy-free, use dairy-free cheese options.
- Inspired by Eating Well Magazine.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love this recipe and the fact that it has 19g of Protein. The only changes I made were to use regular flour and I made my own marinara sauce by chopping Campari tomatoes in diced red onion and minced garlic with Italian herbs. It wasn’t quite enough so I added a can of diced Italian tomatoes with a squirt of tomato paste. I peeled an eggplant and cut 1/4” slices which cut down on baking time by 10-15 minutes. I added more cheese because more cheese is always better. It was phenomenal! Thank you for creating this!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Diane!! Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. It means the world to me. <3
Hi, LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe. My wife and I really enjoy this. A little wine some bread yummy!!! Just one quick question. What temp. are our you cooking the Lasagna once it is all put together. Thanks again
I’m so glad you and your wife are loving this dish! The recipe calls for the oven to be set to 425. 🙂
I have been making eggplant parm my entire life. The baking method was terrible. They never became “ golden and crispy” no matter how long i left them in the oven!
No other choice but to fry them. Very disappointed.
Oh no!! I’m so sorry to hear that, Luci. I haven’t heard of anyone else having any troubles with this method. Did you change anything about the recipe?
What a wonderful recipe this is. I love eggplant parmigiana but haven’t made it in decades as it always turns out greasy as the eggplant soaks up the oil. Using the spray oil with the baking paper is genius. I added a small spoon of ricotta cheese on top of the cooked eggplant before topping with sauce and cheese. Thanks Meghan will definitely use this again!
Fabulous recipe for delicious eggplant parm. I added red pepper flakes to the flour mixture and extra chopped basito each of the layers, largely because I had plenty on hand. My husband and I really enjoyed this tasty treat and will include this on our regular dinner rotations.
Ahh yay!! I’m so glad this recipe was a hit, Sheila! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and star rating, I so appreciate it!
Will be trying tonight, but wanted to know if I needed to salt the eggplant first?
You shouldn’t have to since the almond flour mixture has s + p in it. Did you end up making this yesterday, how’d it turn out?!
Delicious recipe! This was my first time making eggplant Parmesan and I will definitely be making it again.
One thing I was disappointed in was that your video didn’t correspond to your instructions regarding coating the eggplants with the almond flour mixture. Your instructions state to NOT dredge the eggplant through the mixture because it will become clumpy, but your video clearly shows you doing exactly that… dredging. Please update either your instructions or your video to keep consistency.
Hey Laura – Thank you for your feedback. I’m really glad you enjoyed this dish. Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a star rating. I so appreciate it!
Made this for me and my husband tonight. We love mushrooms so I added some in and it was delicious!
Woo-hoo!! I’m so glad this dish was a hit with you and your husband, Hannah. Thanks for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it!
What can i use if i don’t have parchment paper?
You could use tin foil, but you also don’t have to line your pans with anything. If you do that, I would just spray the pan with some oil to prevent the eggplant from sticking.
Loved this recipe! I am a college student and made it for my parents and they loved it. Super easy too.
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear!! I’m so glad this recipe was a hit with your family. Thanks for trying my recipe, Carly!!