Whether you are gluten free of not, this Baked Eggplant Parmesan is the best recipe for Eggplant Parmesan EVER! This eggplant recipe is an incredibly rich, luxurious, and comforting classic.
I adore Eggplant Parmesan.
I used to order it at every Italian restaurant I dined at, but after stumbling upon a secret that takes Eggplant Parmesan to the next level–I no longer order out. I will only eat this dish at home now, because my recipe for Baked Eggplant Parmesan is simply the BEST!
This is a Gluten-Free Eggplant Recipe happens to be SCD-approved, Gluten-Free, and low carb, but MOST importantly, delicious! You MUST try regardless of your dietary preferences.
Baked Eggplant Parmesan
The secret to making this Eggplant Parmesan incredibly rich and satisfying is Coconut Flour.
Sounds crazy?! I know, but TRUST me, even people who hate coconut flour–adore this Eggplant Parmesan Recipe.
Coconut flour is low carb, paleo, gluten-free, SCD approved gives this Eggplant Parmesan the most delicious rich flavor. It really is what makes this eggplant Parmesan so rich and tasty.
Ingredients for the BEST Eggplant Parmesan
- Eggplant
- Coconut Flour
- Parmesan Cheese
- Use Nutritional Yeast in place of Parmesan to keep this Eggplant “Parmesan” dairy-free and Paleo.
- Salt and pepper
- Dried Oregano
- Marinara Sauce/Spaghetti Sauce
How to Make Baked Eggplant Parmesan
Homemade Eggplant Parmesan is actually a quite simple recipe, albeit a bit time consuming (but very little hands on work!)
Step One: Prepare your Eggplant
- Peel the eggplant.
- Slice into 1/2 inch slices.
- Place eggplant slices on baking rack over sheet pan and liberally sprinkle with salt.
- Let the Eggplant sit for one hour.
- Rinse the eggplant slices, from the water that was drawn out.
- Pat dry.
Step Two: Bread Eggplant
- In a pie dish, whisk eggs with water and salt and pepper.
- In separate pie dish, whisk together coconut flour with Parmesan and herbs.
- Dip eggplant slices into egg wash.
- Then into coconut flour mixture.
- Place on cooking rack over rimmed baking sheet.
Step Three: Bake the Eggplant
- Bake the eggplant slices on a cooling rack on top of cookie sheet to get all sides nice and browned.
- Alternatively, use a broiler pan.
- By using this method of baking breaded foods on a cooling rack, you can achieve a crisp crust without frying.
Step Five: Prepare Eggplant Parmesan
- Once eggplant is baked, layer the baked eggplant slices in a 2 quart baking dish with homemade marinara sauce.
- Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
- Use Nutritional Yeast to keep this Baked Eggplant Parmesan Dairy-Free and Paleo.
How To Rid Eggplant of Bitterness
Eggplant is naturally bitter.
If time permits, it is best to rid that eggplant of it’s natural bitterness.
- Salt peeled, eggplant slices for at least an hour
- After the hour, rinse and pat dry the eggplant before breading.
This process will remove the bitterness from Eggplant.
Tips on Homemade Eggplant Parmesan
- If you are wanting Paleo Eggplant Parmesan or Dairy-Free Eggplant Parmesan, substitute the Parmesan Cheese for Nutritional Yeast. The breaded eggplant will reminiscent of Eggplant Parmesan–albeit without the Parmesan Cheese.
- This recipe for Eggplant Parmesan is Keto Friendly and Low Carb
- I also love to use coconut flour in other recipes, like these Coconut Flour Pancakes from Gluten Free on a Shoestring, Coconut Flour Cookies from Texanerin Baking or Coconut Flour Banana Muffins from Meaningful Eats.
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Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
Gluten Free Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
- 2 eggs whisked with 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese freshly grated
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil approximate
Instructions
Prepare Eggplant
- If time permits, generously salt eggplant and let sit for up to 1 hour. Rinse and pat dry.
Prepare Eggplant Parmesan
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay an oven safe cooling rack onto of a cookie sheet or use a broiler pan.
- Place the whisked egg with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish.
- Mix the flour, remaining salt, pepper and oregano in seperate shallow dish.
- Dip each slice of eggplant into the egg wash, followed by the flour mixture, then set onto the baking sheet. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil.
- Bake for 15 minutes and then flip eggplant slices over and drizzle with a tiny bit more olive oil. Continue baking for an additional 15 minutes.
- Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- In a 2 quart baking dish, cover the bottom with a layer of marinara sauce. Cover with a layer of eggplant, repeated with freshly grated parmesan. Repeat layers until all eggplant is used. On final layer top with remaining sauce and a generous layer of Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Notes
- Use nutritional yeast in place of Parmesan cheese for a dairy free and/or Paleo version of Eggplant Parmesan.
To Make Eggplant Parmesan, You May Need
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Kristen Chidsey
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Hi! Can you prepare this recipe the night before, without cooking it? (Stopping at the part where you cook it all in the oven.) I wanted to put it in the refrigerator until tomorrow night and then cooking it for dinner, but wasn’t sure if it would change the taste.
Hi Wendy! I would prep the eggplant up to breading–if you bread it the night before, moisture from the fridge will cause the eggplant to not crisp up as well. But salting the eggplant and leaving in the fridge overnight is a time saver! You could also bake the eggplant and then assemble with tomato sauce the day of. I would just crisp up the eggplant under the broiler first to keep the integrity of the texture.
Best recipe ever for eggplant Parmesan! I have tried it before this and didn’t care for the flavor.But as you say it must be the cocoanut flour that made the difference!
Will be making this again soon.Lots of complements from my family.
Oh I am so happy you enjoyed this so much Mary😊 Thank you for taking the time to comment/review.
I prefer frying the eggplant. Can I do that with this rcipe?
Absolutely Dottie. Just pan-fry as you would any other breaded eggplant. Enjoy!
I recently started the Low FODMAP Diet, though we’ve been gluten free for 10 years. Hubs has also been dairy free. I made this today for his birthday and it was amazing. Actually, I think he may love you, lol!! So glad to have found your site.
I am so glad your husband enjoyed this recipe! It can be so hard to find Low FODMAP approved recipes. I am glad you found this one! And tell your husband happy birthday 🙂
Hi Kristen…
Can’t believe no one has pointed this out, but your ingredient list says
“1 teaspoon egg, divided”. I believe you meant 1 teaspoon SALT (!)
Oh my goodness Diane, great catch! Fixed now.
How would it taste with almond flour? Thanks!
Sandra I have never tried it with almond flour, so I am not sure how it would taste. However, almond flour is used a lot in Paleo breading techniques, so it may work just fine. Let me know if you give it a try.
I just made this tonight and it’s literally the best eggplant I’ve ever made at home. I made mine dairy free and used Daiya mozzarella shreds. I also seasoned the flour a little differently. Since I’m mostly dairy free I keep nutritional yeast on hand. I used almond flour and mixed in some of the nutritional yeast, oregano, garlic powder, a few generous dashes of Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. It’s going to have a permanent spot on our weeknight rotation now. Thank you.
YAY!!!! Kimmie this makes me SO SO happy! I am so glad you loved it and I am going to make with nutrional yeast the next time I make this myself.
I’m glad you’ve found something that’s helping you feel better this week! I hope it continues to help. It looks amazing!
Thanks Karen!
I am so sorry to hear about your niece –I hope that was not the case. And while a gals gotta eat, this is one of my favorite recipes!! I am excited to get the eggplant back to good use because my tower garden is blooming with them! 🙂
Thank you so much Wendie! And yes, you will love this recipe!
Yum! Love how easy this recipe is:)
Thanks Maria!
My husband was on a SCD for a little bit last year. It wasn’t very long (maybe a month or two) because he was also eating Low FODMAP which left very little left to eat, but I do think that short time made a difference. He’s got so many gut issues from going so long undiagnosed with his coeliac disease that he couldn’t eat any kind of fruit, vegetable, or legume without getting the sweats and feeling extreme stomach pain. One thing that I know made a huge difference for him was taking this medical grade probiotic called VSL#3 http://vsl3.com/ It’s designed for people with ulcerative colitis and IBS issues and it’s got 10 times more probiotics that most off the shelf brands. Within three weeks of taking it was able to start reintroducing veggies and foods back in. It was such a lifesaver! (Sorry if this is a lot of info – I just thought it might be helpful! Gut problems are the worst and they can be so tricky to navigate.) I hope the diet works for you!
Even though he’s not on the diet anymore I’m still so going to make this!
Sarah,
Thank you so, so much for sharing this with me. I feel for your husband and can understand his pain. I was undiagnosed for 30+ years, so my damage is extensive as well. I am looking into these probiotics! Thank you for sharing them!
And enjoy!! This is worth making, diet or not!
So sorry you’ve been suffering! I hope this diet works for you! Meanwhile, your eggplant sounds fab!
Thank you Cynthia <3
You have been on my mind quite a bit since we met at the peanut event this month. I learned quite a bit from you- you are inspiring!
This recipe looks like something I need in my recipe box!
Ugh. I hope all works out for you and your niece. I have family living w/ Crohn’s and totally understand. This recipe is a real treat — it fact — it’s one of my fave dishes of all time! Yours looks wonderful!
Thank you Patricia. I feel for your family! Crohns is so hard to manage.
Good luck with this new diet. This GF eggplant parmesan sounds very interesting. Coconut flour coating is very interesting.
You have to try coconut flour–it is so insanely tasty!
Kristen, I love your use of coconut flour as a coating on these eggplant parms! This sure does sound like a delicious recipe I would LOVE to eat everyday myself. I am so so sorry to hear about your niece and I so wish this diet alleviates your symptoms – I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers like I have been sweet friend.
Thank you so much Shashi! I can’t tell you how much that means to me!
Keep us updated on your Niece and your new trial diet! xoxoxo sending love <3
Thanks friend and will do!
I pray that your niece does not have CF. And it sounds like this diet is very promising. Hope you’ve found the answer!!! xoxo
I sure hope this helps me and my niece is just fine too! Thanks Liz.