Craving Italian but hoping to do without the gluten and dairy? This Whole30 “Fried” Eggplant is the perfect dish to get your fix and leave you feeling great!
Whole30 “Fried” Eggplant
This dish is crispy and packed with both flavor and nourishment, so I have a feeling you won’t even miss the cheese. Each slice of eggplant is coated in cassava flour, making this dish free from gluten, grain, corn and gums, then fried lightly in noninflammatory avocado oil or olive oil.
Better for You Ingredients
While this dish is technically fried, it is cooked in either avocado oil or olive oil which are both considered healthy fats and can be a healthy part of any diet. While some oils are inflammatory and should be avoided, these are both completely safe to consume and actually help keep you full longer while supporting healthy brain function.
The eggplant is coated in cassava flour to keep the grains away while still being crisp. I use Otto’s Naturals because out of all of the cassava flours I have tried, it truly always works the best for me. It makes my chicken crispy as breading and baked goods delicious. Otto’s was nice enough to give me a discount code to share with you! You can use my code “kaylaskitchandfix” to save some money on their site, plus they have free shipping!
Cheese if You Please
Not worried about dairy in your diet? Awesome! I have two recipes similar to this one that you will absolutely love. They’re still gluten free, just topped with fresh mozzarella and parmesan. Yum!
Hungry for more?
If you’re looking for more delicious and healthy recipes, you’ll love my better for you Whole30 remakes whether you’re doing the program or not. Whole30 basically just removes the top allergens from your diet for 30 days, so if you’re not on a round, you’ll just being enjoying some delicious and nutritious recipes that don’t sacrifice flavor. Here are some of my recent favorites:
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Whole30 “Fried” Eggplant
Ingredients
Eggplant
- 6 slices eggplant (about ¼ inch thick)
- 4 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil, separated (add more as needed)
- 1 egg
- ½ cup cassava flour (I use Otto's, add more as needed)
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
Sauce
- 1 ½ cup marinara sauce (no sugar added)
- 1 zucchini, diced or grated (optional)
Toppings
- fresh basil, to top (optional)
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Instructions
Eggplant Prep
- Slice eggplant and lay out slices on a towel. Sprinkle with salt and allow to sit for up to an hour. This removes excess moisture from the eggplant and makes it easier to fry.
- Once the hour is up, pat each slice dry and remove any extra salt to avoid them being too salty.
Fry Eggplant
- Heat avocado oil or olive oil in a pan on the stove over medium/low heat for five minutes.
- Whisk egg in one bowl and the cassava flour with oregano in another. Set the two bowls and eggplant near the pan as you get ready to fry them.
- Coat each piece of eggplant in the egg wash, then coat evenly in the flour mixture.Once evenly coated, place eggplant into the heated pan and cook each side for a few minutes until browned. Only fry 2-3 pieces at a time to avoid overlapping. Once fried, place on a drying rack to cool slightly. Repeat until all eggplant pieces are coated and browned.
Sauce
- If you'd like, dice or grate zucchini to add it to your sauce. After dicing or grating, place zucchini in a colander in the sink and sprinkle with salt so that the excess moisture drains, then mix it into the sauce.
- Heat sauce and zucchini on the stove in a pot over medium until warm.
To Serve
- Serve eggplant and sauce warm over greens or with roasted broccolini.
These are delicious!! I added dried basil, Himalayan salt and garlic powder to each slice as I was frying it. I sliced up the whole eggplant but only needed an additional egg and not breading. I inhaled mine with homemade whole30 complaint meat sauce on top. Thank you!
This sounds delicious and I looooove your additions! Thank you so much for making this and I’m so glad you loved it, Danielle! 🙂