Eggplant Parmigiana

Gluten free| Sugar-free | Dairy-free option | No added fats or oil| Vegetarian | Vegan option

Serves: 2
Cuisine: Italian 
Course: Lunch | Dinner

This delicious vegetarian recipe contains three of my favourite foods in one dish. Sweet tender eggplant, my lip-smacking Roasted Tomato Sauce, and cheese! Which is optional if you are dairy-free. This recipe is easy to make and is very satisfying to eat alongside a salad, blanched vegetables, a nice piece of steak or crispy-skinned fish.

Hints, Tips & Tricks

I use my roasted tomato sauce to ensure my recipe stays free from sugar and gluten. You will need to prepare this sauce before continuing with the eggplant parmigiana. My sauce is extremely versatile, and I use it in many other delicious recipes. I always keep a jar of it in my fridge for impromptu curries, sauces and zucchini noodle pasta dishes. You can find the recipe here.

Make sure to use a good quality cheddar and mozzarella for this dish—the better the cheese, the better the taste. You can also top it with cottage cheese. Alternatively, you can sprinkle over nutritional yeast before grilling for a dairy-free dish. 

This recipe, plus many more gluten-free, dairy-free & sugar-free vegetarian recipes, are in my popular eBook, Bridget’s Healthy Veggies. 

RECIPE

Ingredients

• ½ cup of Bridget’s Roasted Tomato Sauce
• 2 medium-sized eggplants, tops removed and cut into three long wide slices
• 12 tbsp grated cheddar and mozzarella cheese (alternatively, use cottage cheese or nutritional yeast)
• Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 large basil leaves, shredded

Method

1. Preheat your oven on the grill or broil setting at a medium to high temperature.
2. Lay the eggplant slices on a baking paper-lined roasting tray. Spoon the roasted tomato sauce onto the pieces, smoothing the sauce out so that the eggplant slices are evenly covered with the sauce. 
3. Sprinkle over the cheese, cottage cheese or nutritional yeast and add a sprinkle of salt and pepper to the top. Grill in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until the eggplant slice is cooked through and the cheese has melted. Keep an eye on the top of the eggplant. If they start to get too dark on top and the eggplant is still not cooked through, turn the oven from Grill to Bake and cook for a further 5-10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. 
4. Top the cooked eggplant with freshly shredded basil leaves and finish with a grinding of black pepper and sprinkle of salt before serving.