Eggplant is a surprisingly hearty vegetable that can make a great substitute for meat or noodles. This recipe for baked eggplant Parmesan is gooey, cheesy, comfort food at its best. The eggplant gets a crispy coating, topped with a generous serving of spicy tomato sauce and cheese. What could be better?

Eggplant is naturally a little bitter, but it just takes one extra easy step to make sure it has a nice neutral flavor. Slicing the eggplant into rounds and sprinkling with salt to remove some of the liquid will take away the bitterness. Let them sit for at least 30 minutes, then wipe away the liquid and excess salt and it’s ready to go. This step may take a little extra time but it’s totally worth it.

One of the best components of eggplant Parmesan is the crispy coating. I avoid making the traditional version because it can be a pain to stand over a pan of hot oil and fry batches of eggplant. This version makes it easy by ‘frying’ the rounds in butter right in the casserole dish. The oven method still creates crispy fried eggplant and cuts down on the prep time and the number of dishes to clean!

Give this recipe a try the next time you’re in the mood for an Italian classic. It’s super flavorful, comforting and full of vitamin-packed veggies!

Yields 4 servings of Baked Eggplant Parmesan

The Preparation

1 large eggplant, sliced into 8 (1/2 inch) sliced
salt, As needed
1/4 cup pork rinds, Crushed
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tablespoon italian seasoning
1 large egg
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup low-carb tomato sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

The Execution

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the eggplant rounds on a baking sheet lined with a paper towel and sprinkle both sides with salt. Let sit for at least 30 minutes to allow the moisture to release.

2. Combine the ground pork rinds, parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish. Set aside.

3. Beat the egg in a separate shallow dish. Set up a breading station with the ground pork rinds and egg.

4. Melt the butter and pour into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish.

5. Pat the eggplant dry. Dip each slice into the beaten egg and then into the parmesan cheese mixture, covering each side with crumbs. Place the eggplant into the buttered baking dish.

6. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip the eggplant pieces over and bake an additional 20 minutes or until golden brown. Top the eggplant with marinara sauce and the shredded mozzarella. Return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

This makes a total of 4 servings of Baked Eggplant Parmesan. Each serving comes out to be 285 calories, 20.6g fats, 8.6g net carbs, and 13.2g protein.

NUTRITION	CALORIES	FAT	CARBS	FIBER	NET CARBS	PROTEIN
1 large eggplant	171	1.2	40.1	20.5	19.6	6.7
— salt	0	0	0	0	0	0
1/4 cup pork rinds	46	2.9	0	0	0	4.3
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese	216	14.3	2.1	0	2.1	19.3
1/2 tablespoon italian seasoning	4	0.1	0.9	0.6	0.4	0.2
1 large egg	79	5.2	0.4	0	0.4	6.9
4 tablespoon butter	407	46	0	0	0	0.5
1 cup low-carb tomato sauce	59	0.5	14.2	3.7	10.5	3.2
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese	168	12.5	1.2	0	1.2	12.4
Totals	1148	82.8	59	24.7	34.2	53.4
Per Serving (/4)	287	20.7	14.7	6.2	8.6	13.4