Looking for a delicious vegetarian option for dinner? Try this mouth-watering low carb eggplant parmigiana. Trust us, even meat lovers will be going back for seconds. This is an easy but utterly delicious fried eggplant parmesan casserole recipe with a tomato and garlic pasta sauce.
If you are looking for a great meatless meal that your whole family will enjoy, then try this Eggplant Parmigiana. Eggplant Parmigiana and eggplant parmesan are the same; the only difference is the cheeses. But things have evolved to the point that these two terms are interchangeable. But most recipes are made with parmesan, cheese not parmigiana cheese.
We did not coat the eggplant with bread crumbs in this eggplant parmesan making it lower in carbs. It’s a burst of great Italian flavor with a healthier twist. It’s a low carb fried eggplant parmesan recipe that your entire family will love.
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Also this eggplant parmesan casserole is made with our homemade Italian red sauce. It’s an easy sauce recipe and well worth the little time it takes. Plus this eggplant parmesan makes a great meatless meal, but it’s not a vegan since we do use chicken broth in our sauce. BTW: You do not have to be on a low carb diet to enjoy this eggplant parmesan with no breading. “Why choose between comfort food and healthy eating when you can have both? Check out this scrumptious eggplant parmigiana recipe that satisfies your cravings and your diet goals.
What’s in this Eggplant Parmesan Casserole:
Tomato and garlic pasta sauce ingredients:
- Whole bulb of garlic
- Olive Oil
- 28 ounce can chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 carrot
Eggplant Parmesan Casserole Ingredients;
- Large Eggplant
- one pound Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
- ¼ cup fresh Bail, roughly chopped
- Salt
- Black Pepper
Equipment Needed:
- Dutch oven or large sauce pan
- Garlic Peeler
- Garlic Chopper
- Kitchen Mandolin, optional
- Skillet
- 9 X 13 Casserole Dish
How to Make Tomato and Garlic Pasta Sauce:
Separate each garlic clove from the whole bulb. Then peel and mince each clove. NOTE: These garlic peelers and this garlic chopper makes this work easier and faster.
Cover the bottom of a dutch oven with olive oil and heat to medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Pour in the tomatoes and add the chicken broth (or vegetable broth), stir to combine. Drop in the carrot and heat to boiling (The carrot will remove the acids of the tomatoes and prevent heartburn from the sauce). Reduce heat to low and let the tomato and garlic pasta sauce simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.
When sauce has thickened, remove and discard the carrot.
How to Make a Low Carb Eggplant Parmesan Casserole:
While red sauce is simmering cut off the blunt end of the eggplant and slice the eggplant lengthwise into thin slices. You could use a sharp knife or a kitchen mandolin for more uniform eggplant slices.
Fry the eggplant slices in just enough olive oil to cover a large skillet. Only fry 2 to 3 slices at one time, about 4 minutes on each side. And drain on paper towels and season with salt and black pepper.
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spoon enough of the pasta sauce into the bottom of a 9 X 13 casserole dish to just cover the bottom. Place half of the slices of the cooked eggplant over the sauce and cover with more sauce.
Top the Eggplant Parmesan casserole with half of the mozzarella cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese.
Layer with remaining eggplant slices, red sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese in that order. Sprinkle with the chopped fresh basil.
Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes uncovered until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let cool about 10-15 minutes before serving.
Serve this eggplant parmesan casserole with a salad and crusty bread if you are not watching your carbs. And this is easy enough to make for any weeknight dinner. This eggplant parmigiana recipe is a game changer! Perfectly crispy and topped with gooey cheese, it’s a must-try for any Italian food lover.
Other Italian Recipes:
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Eggplant Parmigiana
This is an easy but utterly delicious fried eggplant parmesan casserole recipe. This low carb eggplant parmesan recipe is made with grilled eggplant and tomato and garlic pasta sauce.
Servings: 6
Calories: 319kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 whole bulb of garlic
- olive oil
- 1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth vegetable broth for vegetarian
- 1 carrot
To Assemble
- 1 large eggplant
- Olive oil
- 1 pound Mozzarella Cheese grated
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese grated
- 1/4 cup fresh basil roughly chopped
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
Tomato and Garlic Pasta Sauce
- Separate each garlic clove from the whole bulb. Then peel and mince each clove. NOTE: These garlic peelers and this garlic chopper makes this work easier and faster.
- Cover the bottom of a dutch oven with olive oil and heat to medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Pour in the tomatoes and add the chicken broth, stir to combine. Drop in the carrot and heat to boiling (The carrot will remove the acids of the tomatoes and prevent heartburn from the sauce).
- Reduce heat to low and let the tomato and garlic pasta sauce simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.
- When sauce has thickened, remove and discard the carrot.
Low Carb Eggplant Parmesan Casserole
- While red sauce is simmering cut off the blunt end of the eggplant and slice the eggplant lengthwise into thin slices. You could use a sharp knife or a kitchen mandolin for more uniform eggplant slices.
- .Fry the eggplant slices in just enough olive oil to cover a large skillet. Only fry 2 to 3 slices at one time, about 4 minutes on each side. And drain on paper towels and season with salt and black pepper.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spoon enough of the pasta sauce into the bottom of a 9 X 13 casserole dish to just cover the bottom. Place half of the slices of the cooked eggplant over the sauce and cover with more sauce.
- Top the Eggplant Parmesan casserole with half of the mozzarella cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese.
- Layer with remaining eggplant slices, red sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese in that order. Sprinkle with the chopped fresh basil.
- Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes uncovered until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let cool about 10-15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 319kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 895mg | Potassium: 292mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2411IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 594mg | Iron: 1mg
