Baked Eggplant Parmesan
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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
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- Tuna Noodle Casserole
More Pasta Recipes to Try
- Spaghetti Squash Baked Feta Pasta
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- 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!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
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.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
Absolutely love this recipe! I’ve been making it every other week now. I love that it’s not as heavy as the traditional eggplant parm with breadcrumbs. I was just wondering how many days in the fridge would it last? Thanks so much!
Ahh yay!! I’m so glad you’ve been loving this dish, Liz. It should last about 5 days in the fridge.
This was amazing. Of course I didn’t have everything that the recipe called for, but my substitutions were fine. I didn’t have Italian seasoning so I did some fresh parsley and oregano plus some dried basil in the dry coating. I used half panko and half regular flour. I used Mezzeta jarred sauce. I thought the eggplant was the right amount of crispy yet soft inside. I also used a large mozz ball instead of shredded. Thanks for this recipe!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this eggplant parm, Allison. Thanks for trying my recipe and for sharing the subs you made. It’s super helpful for other readers, so I appreciate it. 🙂
THIS WAS AMAZING! I took the advice from another recipe by salting the eggplant to draw out its water.This helped to make the eggplant firm and crunchy even with loads of sauce and cheese.I made a simple dump sauce of crushed tomatoes, tomatoe sauce, tomato paste, wine and spices.Adding the sauce along with this simple, but very yummy recipe, I now have a dish for the entire family… who have NO clue that it is GF!
Yay!! So glad this dish was a hit, Sandy! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
Came out soo good. I used breadcrumbs and panko instead of almond flour delicious. It was a hit at dinner
Yay! So glad this dish was a hit, Rebecca. Thanks for making my recipe + for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it!
can I bake the eggplant slices a couple of hours in advance and assemble later without affecting the texture of the eggplant?
I think that would be just fine!
I made this today for the first time, and it was one of the best eggplant recipes I’ve ever made. I served mine over zoodles instead of pasta, so it was very healthy. THis may end up being my go-to recipe for Eggplant Parmesan.
I accidentally put all of the Parmesan cheese into the coating mixture, so I sprinkled less onto the recipe later. I didn’t have almond flour, so I used bread crumbs.
The direction to sprinkle the coating onto the eggplant is good. I always used to dip it with my fingers, and it got all clumpy. This time I held the slices of eggplant with a fork and dipped it in the egg wash. Then I held it over a new plate to sprinkle the coating over it. After the first one or two slices, there was enough coating on the plate so that I dipped the bottom side quickly onto the coating and sprinkled the extra coating onto the top and edges. I took more from the original coating mixture as needed. This way, the whole batch of coating didn’t get all sticky. I froze the leftover coating for next time.
Ahh this makes me so happy to hear, Carol Jean!! I’m so glad this recipe was a hit. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
Simply excellent!! Experimented on my friend and she said it was the best eggplant parmigiana she had ever tasted! Loved the fact that no frying was involved! I did use 1.5 x the amount of bread crumb mixture and substituted panko for the bread crumbs though. Definitely a keeper!!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Linda!! I’m so glad this dish was a hit. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
Have never cooked with eggplant before, but loved it when my Grandmother made it. This recipe was fantastic! Easy to make and so scrumptious!! So glad you posted it and now I have a new dish to make!! Thank you!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear! I’m glad this dish was a hit, Maria. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
This sounds delicious! I’m going to make this tomorrow! Wanted to ask if I can use Panko bread crumbs instead?
Yes, definitely! I tested the recipe with both almond flour and bread crumbs and both turned out delicious. 🙂
I loved it. It was very easy to make and it was delicious.Will definitely make again.
So glad you loved this dish, Margie! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. 🙂