This healthy baked eggplant parmesan or eggplant parmigiana made from crispy eggplant slices is better than Olive Garden eggplant parmesan.
Baked eggplant slices are layered with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese making this a delicious meal that is also nutritious and a vegetarian eggplant parmigiana.
Skip making your own tomato sauce and use Rao's Sauce Eggplant Parm.
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Summer is the best time to make eggplant parmigiana because eggplant and zucchini are readily available from the garden. But, don't let that stop you because you can purchase eggplant at your grocery store any time of the year.
The best part about this eggplant parmesan recipe is that you can make it ahead and take slices as part of a meal plan for the week.
This recipe for healthy baked eggplant parmesan was inspired by this recipe for Crispy Breaded Eggplant Slices made two ways. And if you are a real fan of eggplant, you should try this Eggplant and Zucchini sauté.
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Ingredients Needed to Make Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
For a gluten free option, swap out the bread crumbs for shredded coconut or almond flour to make a gluten free healthy baked eggplant parmigiana. Not only would it be gluten free, but it will be low carb and keto.
Here's what you'll need to make this recipe.
For the Eggplant:
- Eggplant,
- Salt
- Parmesan cheese
- Egg
- Bread crumbs
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Mozzarella cheese
- Fresh basil
For the Sauce:
- Tomato Puree
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Oregano
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions on How to Make Healthy Baked Eggplant Parmesan
Peel your eggplant, slice and salt them. Lay them on a baking sheet or in a colander and let sit for about an hour while the moisture is released from the vegetable.
Pat dry and coat each side in an egg wash, then coat with breadcrumbs. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake.
Make your tomato sauce while they bake or use pre-made. I like Rao pre-made tomato sauce for a delicious Rao eggplant parm.
Flip the eggplant half way through cooking.
If your sauce is thick add about half a cup of water as some of the sauce will evaporate. Layer the bottom of a baking dish with sauce, olive, water. Then start layering the eggplant in a single layer, cutting to fit the baked eggplant snugly in the baking dish.
Layer some mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Cover with tomato sauce.
Continue to layer alternating between the eggplant, cheese and sauce until all the eggplant has been used or the baking dish is full.
Bake. Once cooked, remove from oven and let sit for10 minutes before serving.
Top tip
Remember to salt your eggplant to draw the moisture out for crispier (not soggy) eggplant parmesan.
Hint: Use pre-made sauce to spend less time making this recipe.
Substitutions and Variations
There are a few substitutions and variations you could consider when making this eggplant recipe.
- Spice it up - add red pepper flakes to kick up this recipe up a notch
- Add Protein - if you want to add a little protein, you can either add minced meat to your marinara sauce or add ricotta or cottage cheese as one of the layers in your eggplant parmigiana
- Make it Gluten Free - make it gluten free by substituting the bread crumbs with shredded coconut or almond flour
- Fry instead of Bake - this recipe is a healthier version of eggplant parmigiana, if you don't want to bake your eggplant slices, alternatively you can fry your eggplant slices, then layer with cheese and bake for a traditional eggplant parmesan
Want to try something else? Go for it. Let me know how it turned out.
Equipment
Equipment has a big impact on the final results. For this recipe, you will need two baking trays, some parchment paper, a 9 x 7 or an 8 x 8 baking dish.
A grater will come in handy if you will be grating your own grated parmesan cheese or grated mozzarella.
This page contains affiliate links, which means I may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through links I provide (at no extra cost to you). Thank you for supporting the work I put into this site! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Storage
This healthy baked egg parmigiana stores very well in the refrigerator, covered for 3 to 4 days. You can also store leftovers in the freezer for not longer than a month. Thaw out 24 hours before you plan to eat it. Warm and serve.
These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Food Safety
Note that the storage guidelines provided on this page and site are estimates from personal experiences. We are all adults and as an adult you are responsible to ensure that the food you eat is safe to eat. Since, I'm not a food safety expert, you are responsible to review your local guidelines on food storage prior to storing any food left-overs.
Remember to:
- Not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For Canadian Guidelines check the Government of Canada Food Safety Guidelines or see more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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Recipe Details
Healthy Baked Eggplant Parmigiana
Ingredients
Eggplant
- 3 Eggplants peeled and sliced
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 ½ cups bread crumbs for a gluten free option use coconut flour or almond flour
- ¾ cups parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs
- Fresh Basil leaves
- ¼ cup olive oil and 1 TBSP of Olive Oil, separated
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ cup water or broth optional
- 2 cups mozzarella shredded
Sauce
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 750 ml tomato puree
- 1 tbsp salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 2 garlic clove
Instructions
Making the Eggplant Slices
- Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
- Peel, slice and salt your eggplant generously.
- Lay the eggplant on a baking sheet or in a colander. Let sit for an hour.
- Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spray or brush parchment paper with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Pat dry the eggplant slices, dip in egg wash, then cover with breadcrumbs. Press the bread crumbs down into the eggplant.
- Transfer the eggplant to a baking tray covered with parchment paper
- Bake for 30 minutes, flipping the eggplant on their other side half way through.
- Make sauce while you wait for the eggplant to cook.
- Prepare a baking dish for the eggplant layers to go into.
- The eggplant will need extra liquid to cook, so you may need to add 1 cup of water/broth to your sauce. Add the remaining olive oil as well (¼ cup).
- Take a couple of tablespoons of the sauce mixture and cover the bottom of the baking dish with it.
- Take the cooked eggplant slices and begin to layer them on top of the sauce.
- Once you have the first layer, cover with more sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan.
- Continue to layer eggplant slices onto of the sauce cheese mixture, making sure that you are layering the eggplant in the opposite direction as the first layer (criss crossing pattern).
- Cut the eggplant to fit wherever needed. Alternate layers with sauce and cheese until you have used up all of the eggplant.
- Top with sauce, mozzarella and fresh basil.
- Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes covered and 10 minutes uncovered.
- Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.
Making the Sauce
- Heat up oil. Sauté garlic until fragrant.
- Add tomato puree. Add water if too thick. If the tomato puree is to thin, add tomato paste.
- Add herbs and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.
- If sauce is tarte or acidic, add ½ teaspoon (more or less) of sugar. Let simmer for another 20 minutes. Taste to adjust seasoning as needed.
Louisa says
Simple yet tasty. This is the first time I baked it, and I loved it. I used my own sauce and with the addition of some herbs and it was a hit!
AmyG says
Hi Louisa,
I'm so glad you enjoyed it and it's always good to experiment with herbs and adding your own personal touch!