What’s Cookin’ Wednesday – Eggplant Parmesan

Zach absolutely loves chicken parmesan so when we decided to switch to a meatless diet I wanted to try and replicate that for him! I have tried 2 different recipes and a boxed version of this dish and this recipe is my favorite! It’s super easy and has minimal ingredients.

---

Serves 2-3 people.

Cook time: 40-50 minutes.

Prep time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 1 eggplant

• 1 tablespoon salt

• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs

• 2 tablespoons garlic salt

• 1 cup French’s fried onions

• ½ cup almond flour

• 2 eggs

• 2 cups mozzarella cheese (we use dairy free for less dairy)

• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese (divided in half)

• 3 ½ cups of marinara sauce

• 2 cups whole wheat pasta

Directions:

• Cut the eggplant into ¼” slices and place them in s strainer with a sprinkle of salt. Allow the eggplant to “sweat” for about 45-60 minutes

• While the eggplant is sweating, get two bowls for the batter. Whisk the eggs in one bowl and put the crushed fried onions, breadcrumbs, garlic salt, and ½ cup parmesan cheese in the other bowl and mix.

• Once the eggplant is done “sweating” place them onto paper towels to dry.

• Put them into a Ziploc baggie (or reusable baggie) and coat each round with almond flour

• Dip the eggplant into the egg mixture and then into the breading mixture. Be sure to coat both sides and tap off any excess.

• Spray a baking pan lined with parchment paper (or reusable baking sheet liners) with non-stick cooking spray. Place the eggplant rounds around the sheet leaving a little space in between.

• Cook pasta according to package.

• Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes flipping them halfway.

• Mix in another small bowl the remaining parmesan cheese and mozzarella chest

• Pull them out and top them with marinara sauce and top with a handful of the cheese blend

• Reduce the heat to 375 and cook for an additional 20 minutes

• Serve on a bead of pasta and add additional marinara sauce to your liking!

---