Melanzane alla Parmigiana
On today’s episode I’m going to show you how to make a keto version of Melanzane alla Parmigiana which is basically Eggplant Parmesan. This is a delicious and wholesome vegetarian Keto dish. A total winner indeed. One of the good things about this is that you can make a big batch of it for meal prep and even freeze it. I think it’s an extremely wholesome dish. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed. I find that eggplant is a great meat substitute when you are trying to keep your protein macros in check and while the carbs can add up (3grams per 100grams of eggplant) it’s vegetable carbs that aren’t really cause for concern. Also make sure that you cook up a big batch of the HK’s Marinara sauce as it’s my staple in most of the Italian recipes.
Cooking with Eggplant
There are a couple of things to keep in mind when cooking eggplant. I like to salt and leave the eggplant to sit for a good 10-15minutes and that kind of gets ride of the bitterness. When you pan fry them, they can soak up a lot of oil (which is not a bad thing on Keto) but now that I’ve made Keto breadcrumbs, you can also bread and fry them for this recipe. Personally I prefer this recipe as it is and don’t really feel the need to bread and fry everything. Whichever method you prefer, have fun cooking.
When prepping for the dish you want to make sure the eggplant slice is not too thin. Remember that we’re cooking the eggplant twice (on the stove and then in the oven) so you still want it to have some texture and not turn to mush. We’re also going to be dousing it in the tomato sauce, adding that mozzarella cheese and then baking it. Finish with the fresh basil. I mean this Keto eggplant parmesan has delicious written all over it. Simple ingredients but such complex flavors.
There is a lot of flavors in eggplant especially when cooked correctly. Now if you enjoy eggplant I have a bunch of keto eggplant recipes. I’ve got my Keto baingan bharta and my eggplant involtini as well. I’ve got tons of Keto recipes using vegetables.
Is Eggplant Keto?
Eggplant or Aubergine (it’s fancy name) is a perfectly low carb vegetable. It’s just just 6 grams of carbohydrates per 100g from which it’s 3 grams of fiber making it 3g of net carbs per 100g. That’s perfect. Not to mention it’s full of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Eggplant is a great source of potassium, manganese and B vitamin. It’s one of those veggies that is super versatile, tasty and got health benefits. Don’t be afraid of eating your vegetables on the keto diet. Whether it’s peppers, zucchini or mushrooms. Of course starchy vegetables like potatoes are still off the table.
Nutrition Info (Per serving)
- Calories: 241
- Net Carbs: 5g
- Carbs: 9g
- Fat: 18g
- Protein: 14g
- Fiber: 4g
This recipe makes 4 serving. Get this recipe on myfitnesspal.
- 300 grams Eggplant
- 150 grams Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella
- 200 grams HK's Keto Marinara Sauce Get the recipe here
- 50 grams Parmesan cheese
- Salt
- Slice and salt the eggplant and leave for 30 minutes in a colander
- Pat the eggplant dry and then either pan fry, deep fry or grill.
- In an oven proof dish layer the tomato sauce, parmasan cheese, then eggplant, mozeralla, more eggplant, more tomato sauce and finally parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes till golden brown
- Serve
34 Comments
Marilyn
March 27, 2018 at 2:37 pmI love your videos and recipes. I think I’m going to make this for dinner tonight. Keep on rocking! \m/
Lisa
April 27, 2018 at 6:06 amHey Sahil do you think this can be frozen after cooking?
Sahil Makhija
April 28, 2018 at 4:31 amYes
Paula
May 5, 2018 at 7:23 pmThought it would be helpful to give the oven temp since it wasn’t in the recipe. The video said 200 celsius and that is 392 Fareinhight.
christina Caballero
June 17, 2018 at 10:28 pmI put it at 400
Marie
August 23, 2018 at 1:27 amThanks! Was just wondering!
Julie
September 5, 2018 at 11:46 pmThank you Paula!
NANCY
November 1, 2019 at 6:49 pmthanks !
DAWN
July 22, 2018 at 6:44 pmMaking this tonight!
Giovanna
August 30, 2018 at 3:58 amMaking now. I used the baby eggplants Cant wait!
Marge Druckenmiller n
September 22, 2018 at 7:31 pmCould I coat it in a little almond flour after dipping in egg with 1/2-1/2?
Sahil Makhija
September 23, 2018 at 3:34 amYes sure thing.
Diane Aultman
June 19, 2020 at 3:07 amI’ve made this several times and always make 2 casseroles and freeze one. These in the frig and then bake as usual. Tastes just as goodnif not better!
Cheryl Gallion
October 13, 2018 at 12:56 amLoved it, I also added some hot itallian sausage to the sauce.
Brooke
May 8, 2019 at 8:16 pmGood idea!!
Cheryl Gallion
October 13, 2018 at 1:07 amThis was really good! I added some hot Italian sausage and a poblano pepper to the mix and it was wonderful!!
Sabrina Verma
October 27, 2018 at 8:30 pmHi! This is an awesome recipe. I just made a huge batch. Is it possible to calcaulate how many grams 1 serving should be?
Sahil Makhija
October 28, 2018 at 2:38 amJust got to weight the final dish and divide it. I didn’t do it when I made it so I don’t remember exactly how much it was.
Lee Anne Carmack
November 29, 2018 at 12:14 amI added italian sausage.
Mawada Aboagla
March 6, 2019 at 1:49 pmI love this recipe specially the tomatoes sauce, my boyfriend loooves it i will do it again for sure!!
*I used ground almonds instead of bread crumbs
Sahil Makhija
March 7, 2019 at 2:40 amawesome!
pat
March 12, 2019 at 11:15 pmWhy did my eggplant absorb all the oil when I fried it? It was gross, what did I do wrong?patt
Sahil Makhija
March 14, 2019 at 3:10 amEggplant does that. Use less oil. Just enough to kind of keep it from sticking to the pan.
Brittany S
March 15, 2019 at 1:13 amThis was SO good. I made it for my husband’s birthday and he raved about it. I fried it in butter using a batter of egg/heavy cream dipped in almond flour/Italian seasoning/parmesan cheese (I just eyeballed it). I used the full 8 oz package of fresh mozzarella to make it really gooey. We WILL be having this again. Thanks for sharing!
Sally
May 21, 2019 at 3:17 amLess ads
Sahil Makhija
May 21, 2019 at 4:46 pmWill take your feedback into consideration.
Nanette
July 3, 2019 at 1:58 amMade this recipe to tonight and your recipes never disappoint this vegetarian.
Diane
July 8, 2019 at 11:04 pmI’ve made this twice and it’s awesome! Today when I made it, I split it and froze more than half for another meal. My only change was battering it in unblanched almond flour and frying before creating the layered casserole. I love the marinara sauce!!
Ron
July 21, 2019 at 2:24 pmI am new this year to the Keto diet. It works! I used this recipe, with my own Keto/Spaghetti sauce. Dredged the eggplant in an Egg/2TB Heavy Cream and let the excess drip off, then Almond Flour/Parmesan Cheese/Italian Seasoning. Baked on cookie sheets 20-25min per side until golden brown/crispy at 375F. Followed the rest of the recipe as written. One serving was quite filling as a main meal. The left-overs are wonderful for the next couple of days and I’m losing weight! Thank you for this excellent recipe!
JoAnn Cambareri
August 5, 2019 at 5:32 amA great “starter” recipe (no breading? what’s up with that?). I breaded. First I dredged my Eggplant thru 3 eggs which I had previously “scrambled” plus what I call a “pour” of Heavy Cream. And then I dredged it though my Flour (using a combination of Almond and Coconut flour (on a 2:1 ratio basis). And then I went back and did it again. I then fried my Eggplant in AVOCADO oil (which may be more expensive than EVOO but lighter and — in my humble opinion — more “pleasant to the palate”). For ME, it’s all about the CHEESE, so I layered my “stacks with BOTH sliced Mozzarella (from a “block”) and shredded Cheddar cheeses. And, of course, I topped it with grated Parmesan. I didn’t have any Tomato Sauce in my Freezer, so I resorted to using a Jar of “Classico” that I had in my pantry (5 grams of Carbs per serving, so I had 10, lol). Bottom Line? Dinner (for 4) turned out WONDERFULLY with a side salad that consisted of fresh Baby Spinach, Vadalia onions (thank goodness they were “in season”; “common place” Yellow Onions works just as well, though), berries (I used sliced Strawberries but, of course, you can use whatever berry you prefer), garlic powder and a homemade “Thousand Island” dressing; sliced hard boiled eggs were offered as being “optional”) and a few “Cloud Bread” pieces being offered on the side!
Plushie Bug
August 31, 2019 at 11:06 amMade this in a tryout size last weekend, not bothering with the breading, added a pile of Italian seasoning to the tomato sauce I had on hand, and damn, was it ever good! Making the BIG pan this weekend.
Aoife
April 22, 2020 at 8:35 pmLove the site and recipes but there is just too many ads which makes it jump all around and very hard to follow. Please demonitise a little for the cause.
Sahil Makhija
April 23, 2020 at 3:11 amWhat is the cause?
Diane Aultman
June 19, 2020 at 3:12 amThis is my favorite Keto recipe. I know this is the recipe I made but it said to dredge the eggplant in fine almond flour before frying. I’ve made this several times and it is SO very good. Always make an extra for freezing. Love the marinara sauce. Can be used in so many dishes. Chef, you are the BEST!!