Eggplant Parmesan

Ok, before you go getting your panties in a twist (ew, I said panties), calm down, and remember that I’m not here to let you down. Sure, there is the word parmesan in the title of this recipe, but there is no actual parmesan in the recipe itself. It’s a play on words. Mostly because you guys know what eggplant parmesan is. And if I called it ‘eggplant in a dish’ it just wouldn’t have the same ring to it. This is my dairy-free spin on eggplant parmesan and let me tell you something – I LOVE IT SO DAMN MUCH! This dish makes my heart sing. And since I know a lot of you out there decided to go more plant-based this year, I thought a plant-based Valentine’s Day dish would a fun way to mix things up compared to what I’ve made in the past. I made this dish yesterday for my friend Jess when she came over to watch the Bachelor and she LOVED it! And my husband rated it 8.5 out of 10. He said it was a 10 because it wasn’t meat. Can’t win em all.

I know what you’re thinking though – BUT JULI, there is cheese in this dish. I can see it, you whore!!!! Remember, I mentioned calming down. Namaste. We really gotta start working on your meditating skills. This dish, like my Lasagna Soup from last week, is made with Kite Hill almond milk ricotta cheese. No dairy! Sure, if you eat dairy on a regular basis, eat real ricotta. The best thing about life is that it’s yours, you get to do whatever you want with it! Eat the cheese or don’t! Just stop yelling at me!

Wanna hear something kind of strange? Well, it’s not strange, more so funny. Since we moved to our new house in November, we haven’t really met our neighbors. Sure, we’ve had a hello here and there, but that’s about it. Which is the complete opposite of our old neighborhood. We used to have block parties and dinners in our old hood, so it feels a little different here. BUT we just bonded with some neighbors a few houses down because they have two frenchies that Jackson didn’t try to immediately attack for no apparent reason. We’ve been trying to go out with them for a bit now and they mentioned going on on Valentine’s Day for happy hour. And since we have no real plans on VDay because we don’t care about that day, we said yes. So we are pretty much going out on VDay on a blind date to one of the busiest restaurants in town that day. So strange. But I’m excited to finally get to know our neighbors! Everyone seems to have kids in this neighborhood, but they don’t. They have frenchie children. Which are way more fun, in my completely unbiased opinion.

What are you doing for Valentine’s Day? Going out somewhere fancy? Staying in and watching reruns of The Office? We just watched The Morning Show and finished it in 4.5 seconds and now I want to rewatch it back through. It’s sooooooo goooooood. I pretty much want to just watch anything that Steve Carrel is in. What a gem of an actor. Ok I need to get to the gym then head to a coffee shop and buckle down for the day! I’m creating my next fitness program for you guys and I’M SO EXCITED!! Kloveyoubye!

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Eggplant Parmesan

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 10 reviews

• Author: juli
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

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• 2 eggplants, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 package Simple Mills rosemary almond flour crackers
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 24-ounce jar of garlic marinara sauce (I use Rao’s)
• 1 8-ounce container Kite Hill almond milk ricotta cheese
• optional – air fryer cauliflower gnocchi on the side
• fresh basil
• black pepper

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×12 baking dish.
2. Slice eggplant, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt throughout all the slices, then pat dry with paper towels to get rid of any excess liquid. 
3. In a food processor, add the crackers, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, then pulse until broken down into a fine crumble. Place mixture in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, beat egg. 
4. Place olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Once warm, dip an eggplant slice into the egg, then into the cracker mixture, coating both sides and shaking off the excess. Then place into the non-stick pan. Repeat this with all the eggplant, making sure to not overcrowd the pan. This will have to be done in batches. Cook eggplant for 4-5 minutes per side, until browned on both sides, then set aside. 
5. Once all eggplant is cooked, pour the marinara sauce into the baking dish then arrange the eggplant throughout, press it down into the marinara. Top with ricotta cheese throughout then place in the oven to bake for 15 minutes. 
6. If you would like to serve your eggplant with gnocchi, cook gnocchi in the air fryer at this stage while the dish bakes.
7. Top dish with fresh basil and black pepper before serving! 

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More Date Night-In Recipes:

Stuffed Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken

Filet Mignon with Béarnaise Sauce

Seared Scallop Dinner For Two

Lemon Basil Seared Scallop Pasta

Shrimp Piccata Pasta

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