Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Making this is way easier than I thought!  And to keep things healthier and less messy, we're baking the eggplant instead of frying it.  So no oil or bread crumbs needed. This dish is gluten-free and made with whole ingredients.  The almond flour coating makes it so crispy and tasty. 

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds

2 organic free-range eggs

1 cup almond flour (use bread crumbs if you have a nut allergy)

1 cup freshly grated parmesan, divided 

2 tsp Italian seasoning

sea salt

ground black pepper

1 24 oz jar of marinara sauce (about 3 cups)

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup thinly sliced basil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a shallow bowl, mix together the almond flour, 1/2 cup parmesan, Italian seasoning and 1/2 tsp sea salt.

2. In another shallow bowl, whisk eggs with 2 Tbsp water and dash of salt and pepper.

3. Dip an eggplant slice into the egg mixture and let any excess drip off.  Then sprinkle the almond flour parmesan mixture over each side of eggplant slice.  Place on baking sheet.  Repeat to coat all eggplant slices.  NOTE: sprinkle mixture on rather than dip eggplant into almond flour mixture to prevent the mixture from getting to wet and clumpy.

4. Bake until golden and crisp, about 30 minutes, flipping at 15 minutes.

5. In a large baking dish (I used 9x11), add 1 cup of marinara sauce and spread evenly.  Add an even layer of baked eggplant slices.  If needed, you can cut some of the slices to fill the baking dish.  Add another 1 cup sauce and spread evenly over eggplant slices.  NOTE: use a spoon to dollop sauce onto each eggplant slice.  Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup of the remaining parmesan and 1/4 cup of fresh basil.  Top with another layer baked eggplant slices and spread on 1 cup of sauce, 1/4 cup parmesan and remaining fresh basil.

6. Bake, uncovered, until top is bubbly and golden, about 15 minutes. Remove the eggplant parmesan from the oven, cut, serve and ENJOY!

NOTES:

Dairy-free?  If you don't eat dairy, I recommend finding a dairy free shredded mozzarella and vegan parmesan.  There are quite a few brands like Daiya Foods or VioLife.

Recipe inspired by Eating Well Magzine.

Did you make this recipe?  Please leave a comment on this post and share on social media using the hashtag #spooniefulofrachel  I love seeing your recipe shares!