Lately I have been looking for any excuse to get creative, vegetabley-speaking. One dish I thought about for years after my celiac diagnosis, but didn’t attempt for too many of those years, was gluten free Eggplant Parmesan.
This classic Italian dish just seemed complicated. It seemed fancy. It seemed difficult. So how on earth could it be easy to make it gluten free? Then I would put it off again, and be off to something else. Muffins, usually.
But then as it usually happens, a reader or 3 would ask me to create a gluten free recipe for them and it would get pushed to the top of my list. So gluten free Eggplant Parmesan was back on the menu.
Turns out, it wasn’t so complicated, fancy or difficult as I had feared. But it was so very worth it!
Complicating life for many of us on a gluten free diet is that we need to avoid dairy. So, I even made this gluten free Eggplant Parmesan recipe one that is dairy-free (feel free to use full-octane dairy cheese instead, of course).
The gluten-free, dairy-free recipe itself is really just so good that I added it to my cookbook, Free For All Cooking!
There are finally some quite good choices on the market for those of us in the dairy-free department (check out all my reviews!), companies like Vevan, So Delicious, Forager Project, Violife, Good PlanEt, Follow Your Heart, and Go Veggie® cheeses all offer mozzarella flavors.
There are even artisan cashew milk Buffalo Mozzarella from brands like Miyoko’s Creamery that makes this dish truly divine when made vegan! Just look at how well it adorns our homemade grilled gluten free pizzas!
Check out my recommended gluten free and vegan cheese alternatives for even more choices!
Grab a nice size eggplant, some Buffalo mozzarella or a dairy-free cheese option (pictured here), a bottle of Chianti or another lovely red, and you’ll have yourself a delicious Italian meal!
I can’t wait for you to try this recipe! Please leave a comment and let me know how you like it and what cheese you used; if you love this recipe, please leave a 5-star review!
Gluten Free Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
Gluten Free Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
Gluten Free Eggplant Parmesan just feels like a fancy Italian Dish. It's not complicated or difficult to make at all -- even dairy-free!
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant (1 1/2 – 1 3/4 pounds)
- 1 1/2+ cup dry gluten free bread crumbs, finely ground*
- 1/2 cup gfJules® Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs (or 1/2 cup milk of choice)
- 2 tablespoons milk of choice
- High heat oil for frying (like avocado oil)
- 32 ounces pasta or marinara sauce, gluten-free
- 16 ounces fresh Buffalo mozzarella cheese, thickly sliced, or nondairy mozzarella (Go Veggie® & Miyokos® are both pictured here) -- check my recommended dairy-free cheeses in this article
- 1/2 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese, dairy or nondairy or gluten free nutritional yeast
- Fresh basil leaves for layering in the dish
Instructions
Eggplant Directions:
Wash eggplant and peel stripes in the skin, vertically, then cut lengthwise 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick slices.
Arrange one layer of cut eggplant slices in the bowl of a large colander; sprinkle evenly with salt.
Repeat this process with the remaining slices, layering until all eggplant is in the colander. Place 2-3 heavy plates on top of the slices and set aside to help the eggplant release some moisture prior to cooking.
Dish Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Remove each slice of eggplant and press between two paper towels to remove any remaining water and wipe off any excess salt. Prepare two wide, shallow bowls: one with breadcrumbs, flour, salt, and pepper; the other with egg and milk. Whisk each well.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1/4 inch of oil to preheat. When heated, dip both sides of the eggplant slices in the egg-milk bowl, then coat them both thoroughly in the flour-breadcrumb bowl.
Gently lay each coated slice into hot oil and fry until golden brown (usually only 1-2 minutes per side), flipping to fry on both sides. Remove to drain on paper towels while finishing the remaining slices.
Prepare a large 13 x 9-inch (or larger) baking dish by lightly spraying with cooking oil. Pour one-third of the marinara sauce, then layer one-third of the fried eggplant slices. Top eggplant with half of the mozzarella slices. Lay one basil leaf atop each circle of mozzarella then sprinkle with one-third of the Parmesan; repeat layers two more times.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
Serves 6.
Notes
*To make breadcrumbs, take that loaf of GF bread we all have in our freezers, cut it in thirds, pulse one third in a food processor, then pour onto a baking sheet and toast in a 300F oven for 10 minutes, or until crispy. If you prefer tastier crumbs, bake a homemade loaf from my gfJules Bread Mix or follow my gluten-free Sandwich Bread Recipe, bake, cut and toast as described above (or follow my detailed directions in this recipe linked here). The best results really do start with the best ingredients!
Pin for later!
