This Baked Eggplant Parmesan recipe is made of crispy roasted eggplant slices, my homemade marinara sauce, and layers of parmesan and mozzarella cheese. It is easy to make and has a lighter twist on classic Italian recipes. This baked eggplant parmesan recipe will become one of your family favorites!

Eggplant parmesan is one of my favorite classic Italian recipes. Traditionally this dish is made fried and loaded with oil. So this inspired me to create a healthier version – baked eggplant instead of fried. This baked eggplant parmesan recipe has all the delicious flavors of a classic eggplant parmesan but does not require frying and is super healthy.

I also decided to make this dish gluten-free, so I used almond flour instead of breadcrumbs, but if this is not your choice, you can use breadcrumbs instead. I have made this dish several times, and if I run out of almond flour, I use breadcrumbs instead. Both work interchangeably. The almond flour and parmesan make the roasted eggplant crunchy and even more flavorful.

Healthy and Gluten Free Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Table of Contents

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BAKED EGGPLANT PARMESAN RECIPE

The preparation process is quite simple! Plus, you will use less than 10 ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:

Eggplants: You will need 2 medium eggplants, sliced.
Eggs: Beaten to dip the eggplant slices.
Almond Flour: You can make homemade almond flour or use breadcrumbs instead.
Cheese: Parmesan and Mozzarella.
Italian Seasoning: Italian seasoning is a mixture of dried herbs and spices like basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley, thyme, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder.
Salt and Black Pepper: These basic seasonings cannot be missed.
Marinara Sauce: You can certainly buy this sauce in the market. However, I used my Homemade Marinara Sauce.
Fresh Basil: Don’t skip the fresh basil! Fresh basil leaves give garden-fresh flavor.

HOW TO MAKE BAKED EGGPLANT PARMESAN

As I mentioned before, this version of eggplant parmesan is very simple to make! With minimal prep work and maximal flavor, this easy dinner will delight your taste buds any day of the week.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F. Prepare two large baking sheets and grease them with oil.
In a shallow bowl combine almond flour, parmesan, Italian seasoning, and sea salt. In another shallow bowl, beat the eggs with the salt and black pepper.
Cut the eggplants into 1 cm thick slices.
Dip the eggplant slices into the egg mixture and allow the excess liquid to drain a bit. Then sprinkle some of the almond flour and parmesan mixture on each side of the eggplant slices. I recommend sprinkling the flour mixture rather than placing the soaked eggplant slices in the almond flour mixture. Doing this prevents the dry flour mixture from getting too wet. Otherwise, the result will be a sticky flour mixture with lumps of flour, which consequently will not stick to the eggplant!
Place the breaded eggplant slices on the baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray or brush with olive oil on the top (this helps with browning).
Bake the breaded eggplant for about 10 minutes on each side, until the eggplant slices are tender inside, golden brown and crispy on the outside.
Remove the eggplant slices from the oven and assemble the baked eggplant parmesan. Leave the oven heated to 425 degrees F.
Spread 1 cup marinara sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish. Add an even layer of roasted eggplant slices. Add 1½ cups of sauce. Then top with mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and fresh basil. Top with another layer of roasted eggplant slices and another 1½ cups of sauce. The final layer will be the mozzarella, parmesan cheese, and fresh basil. Leave a few leaves of the basil to decorate after baking!
Bake uncovered until the top is bubbly and golden.

TIPS FOR MAKING EGGPLANT PARM

Do not peel the eggplant. The skin is soft and full of fiber and nutrition. It also helps to keep the eggplant slices intact.
Slice the eggplant as evenly as you can. Even slices mean even cooking and even layers.
If you have some spare time make my homemade marinara sauce instead using a store-bought. I prefer homemade marinara to keep this baked eggplant parmesan healthy, without extra sugar or salt that usually comes with sore-bought sauces.
Do not skip the step of spraying eggplant with olive oil! Make sure to spray or drizzle the breaded eggplant slices with oil before they go in the oven. It is essential for getting the eggplant slices nicely golden brown and crisp.
This baked eggplant parm is a vegetarian dish, but to mix it up a little, you can add roasted bacon, cooked chicken, or cooked minced beef.

STORAGE OF BAKED EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA

Store: First, let your baked eggplant parmesan come to room temperature. Then transfer the leftover to an airtight container (you can store them as a whole or in individual portions). Your eggplant parmesan can stay in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Reheat: To reheat this recipe, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and cook the dish for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.

Freeze: Simply assemble the eggplant parmesan in a baking dish, but don’t bake it. Then, wrap the dish tightly with aluminum foil and freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw completely when ready to eat, then bake as usual.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS OVEN-ROASTED EGGPLANT PARMESAN

This baked eggplant parmesan is rich and flavorful enough to be served on its own, but there is nothing wrong to add some extra side dish like a salad or sourdough bread. You can also add some roasted veggies!

If you are a meat lover you will adore serving it with roasted beef, pork tenderloin, or meatballs.