How to Fry Eggplant without Breadcrumbs

I discovered this method when making chicken francaise and wondered if this could deliver the same results. All you need are a few ingredients:

• Eggplant
• Eggs
• Parmesan or Pecorino Romano Cheese
• Italian Seasoning
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

I used two kinds of eggplant, the regular size and the long skinny size, which I cut into coins.

• Use a peeler to remove the skin from larger sized eggplant, leaving it on the smaller size. This is a personal preference. You can leave the peel on.
• Slice about a half inch thick.
• Salt a baking sheet. Place eggplant on the salted sheet. Salt the eggplant on top side.
• Allow the eggplant to sit and lose moisture for at least 30 minutes. Then use paper towel to dry eggplant, and remove most or all of the salt.
• Dip in beaten egg. Dip in grated cheese.
• Add oil to frying pan. Make sure it’s hot before adding eggplant.
• Fry a few minutes each side until golden.
• Sprinkle with salt, pepper, Italian Seasoning.
• Make sure the pan isn’t crowded. Fry in batches, removing eggplant to paper towel.
• Add more oil if necessary for next batch.

Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese?

I prefer pecorino romano over parmesan, but this recipe uses with either. Make sure you grate it fresh and very fine if you can. Pecorino is a sheep’s cheese with a distinctive tang and is saltier.

What to Do with Fried Eggplant

• Eat them just as is with salt. We used to devour the eggplant in minutes.

• Eggplant Bruschetta: Serve as an appetizer with an Italian Chopped Tomatoes, Basil, Olive Oil

• Eggplant Parmesan – this is truly comfort food. Use the eggplant to layer tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.

• Eggplant Coins can also be served with a Yogurt Dip, ranch dressing or Tzatziki.

Eggplant Caprese

Make this even better as a starter course by adding tomato, basil and mozzarella cheese for a twist on caprese. You can chop the mozzarella or use mozzarella round. Make sure to add salt and pepper as a finishing touch.

More Eggplant Recipes

• Eggplant Soup
• Eggplant Rollatini
• Eggplant Parm with Pepperoni
• Italian Sausage Stuffed Eggplant
• Eggplant Lasagna
• Eggplant Benedict

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Keto Fried Eggplant Recipe

Course Vegetable

Cuisine Italian

Keyword keto eggplant

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 19 minutes minutes

Counter time for Sweating Eggplant 1 hour hour

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil use as needed
• 2 eggplants
• salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups pecorino romano or parmesan

Instructions

• Remove skin before slicing, using a potato peeler. You can choose to leave skin on.
• Slice eggplant. I like it medium thick, about 1/2 inch if I'm baking it without stacking it.
• Sweat the eggplant. Lay out on cloth or paper towels and salt heavily on both sides. Use more cloth or paper towels to absorb the liquid.
• Make sure to wipe off salt with paper towels before dipping into egg.
• Beat 2 eggs. You may not need all, so beat more as you need them.
• Add salt and pepper into eggs.
• Heat about an inch of oil in frying pan.
• Dip into egg, then pecorino cheese and fry eggplant over medium heat.
• Season with sea salt.
• Eat as is or use for eggplant bruschetta, eggplant lasagna, etc.

Notes

I like grated pecorino romano, but you can use parmesan. Pecorino is a sheep’s cheese. Parmesan is a cow cheese.

The post Parmesan Cheese Fried Eggplant Bruschetta (no breadcrumbs) appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

The first recipe (fried eggplant) is one from childhood, only it’s keto-fied. You can, however, replace what I use for breadcrumbs (pork panko) and you will achieve the same thing. It was such a treat growing up and disappeared fast.

Once you have this fried eggplant down, you can make eggplant parmesan or eggplant lasagna. I added pepperoni to the eggplant parmesan, but you can make it your own.

• Keto Fried Eggplant – The staple to several great eggplant dishes, but great alone.
• Eggplant Parmesan with Pepperoni – Surprise with the addition of pepperoni.
• Sausage Stuffed Eggplant – Just dig in and enjoy the comfort.

These Italian Eggplant Recipes are fun and not hard, although they look it. My favorite is probably the eggplant lasagna, an idea I got from a local Italian restaurant. Both of these recipes use ricotta cheese, mozzarella and who doesn’t love these ingredients, which scream comfort food.

• Eggplant Rollatini
• Eggplant Lasagna

Eggplant Soups

Now that you’ve seen some sort of traditional type eggplant recipes, here are two eggplant soup recipes. Yes, this makes 8 recipes, so consider it a bonus. I have to ask myself why haven’t I made these soups more often.

• Sausage Eggplant Soup – a soup I created after a Farmer’s Market bounty.
• Creamy Roasted Eggplant Tomato Soup – made due to another accidental Farmer’s Market haul of tomatoes, eggplant and bell pepper. Heavy cream smooths it all out.

Vegetarian Options

The Italian Sausage Eggplant Soup CAN be made without sausage. It’s good on it’s own if you want a vegetarian option.

The Creamy Tomato Eggplant Soup can be made vegan if you exchange the heavy cream with coconut milk.

Helpful Kitchen Tools for these Recipes

• Dutch oven
• Great non-stick frying pan (Hex Clad)
• Pork Panko
• Baking Dish
• Soup Crocks

The post My Favorite Low Carb Italian Eggplant Recipes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Actually this soup came about quite by accident. I was hoping to use eggplant, canned tomatoes, and bell pepper to make a chicken dish. But when I roasted the vegetables with olive oil, white wine and garlic, covered in the onion and decided to blend and make a soup or a sauce.

Once blended, I added in some heavy cream and broth and it turned to be a lovely summer soup. You could go dairy free (see below).

Variations for Creamy Eggplant Tomato Soup

• You could change out the heavy cream for coconut milk to thin it down if you want to keep it vegan.
• Add in other vegetables like zucchini, which is also plentiful this time of year.
• Use this as a pasta sauce with a penne pasta or gnocchi. Use less broth in this case.
• Make this a meal with grilled bread or use as a starter.
• Serve with a white, mild fish, or shrimp.

Equipment

• Immersion Blender
• Cutting Board Flexible Mats
• Small Soup Bowls

More Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Chunky Italian Summer Vegetable Soup
• Chicken Vegetable Soup
• Watermelon Gazpacho
• Chilled Cucumber Gazpacho
• Carrot Ginger Soup
• Gazpacho from My Garden
• Eggplant Rollatini

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Creamy Summer Eggplant, Tomato Soup

Soup made with Eggplant, Canned Tomato, Onion, Bell Pepper, Garlic and Olive Oil with a bit of heavy cream, great for Summer

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Bean macaroni Soup, Eggplant Soup, Tomato soup

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant peeled, cubed
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 small onion
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
• 1 24 ounce Italian Tomatoes
• 1 cup white wine
• black pepper
• 1/4 cup heavy cream or coconut milk
• 1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
• fresh thyme, oregano or basil for garnish

Instructions

• Peel, cube eggplant. Salt and place on colander lined with paper towels.
• Chop onion medium dice.
• Peel garlic cloves.
• Seed and slice bell pepper in 1 inch slices.
• Place all vegetables in shallow baking dish (so you can spread out). Pour olive oil and toss. Add garlic cloves whole.
• Open tomatoes. Chop tomatoes and pour over vegetables including juices.
• Stir in white wine.
• Bake at 300 degrees for up to two hours, until all is soft. A long, slow bake melds flavors. Or put in slow cooker for four hours on low.
• Use immersion blender to blends and add broth and heavy cream.
• Serve with herbs and a drizzle of olive oil.

The post Creamy Roasted Eggplant, Tomato Soup appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

What is Eggplant Rollatini?

The name itself gives you a big hit. It’s rolled eggplant, stuffed with ricotta cheese, covered with homemade tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella.

The good news here is that it’s naturally low carb, bas the eggplant is first sliced and baked with NO breading, just olive oil and then rolled with with the cheese.

Choose Eggplant…

Choose long slender eggplant that will yield long slices. Keep in mind they will shrink a bit when you bake them to soften them.

How to Drain and Prepare Ricotta Cheese for Eggplant Rollatini

Not all ricotta cheese is equal. I love the Polly O brand because it’s a bit firmer doesn’t require much draining. However with most brands of ricotta cheese, there is a bit of liquid that you will want to drain. Put the ricotta in a colander lined with damp paper towel or cheesecloth. I just leave it like that for an hour. You could also cover with plastic, and put a heavy bowl on top to push out that extra liquid.

Season with pecorino cheese or parmesan, parsley or basil, and add one egg per two cups.

• Ricotta Cheese
• Parmesan or Pecorino
• Egg
• Basil or Parsley
• Salt, Pepper

Quick Homemade Tomato Sauce

This is just as easy as opening a jar of sauce.

You will be baking the eggplant rollatini in tomato sauce. You can make a very clean, quick sauce with a large can of San Marzano Tomatoes.

Heat garlic just until softened in olive oil. Crush tomatoes in your hands, add to oil. Add salt, pepper and cook on low, while preparing eggplant and ricotta cheese. I like to then puree the sauce with an immersion blender.

• San Marzano Tomatoes
• Olive Oil
• Salt, Pepper
• Garlic

Slice Eggplant and Bake to Soften

Slice eggplant about 1/4 inch thick. It’s best to use a mandolin to keep slices even. I made two versions, one with skin on, one with skin off. It’s fine either way.

Sweat out the extra water content by salting for 15 minutes. Rinse off salt, dry with paper towels.

Brush with small amount olive oil. Bake until softened about 10-15 minutes. The slices need to be soft enough to roll, but not so soft, they fall apart.

Roll and Stuff Eggplant

Once baked slices are cooled place about 2 tablespoons of ricotta mixture and roll. Cover bottom of baking dish with tomato sauce (just enough to cover bottom). Place seam side down on sauce. Cover with more sauce, grated cheese and mozzarella. Pi

Bake

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for five more minutes. Let this cool for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy with a side salad and crusty bread.

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More Eggplant Dishes

• Italian Sausage Stuffed Eggplant
• Low Carb Eggplant Parm Pepperoni
• Ground Veal Stuffed Eggplant
• Eggplant Soup
• Eggplant Lasagna

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Eggplant Rollatini

Eggplant, baked, stuffed with ricotta, rolled, topped with sauce and mozzarella.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Eggplant, eggplant rollatini

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 2 eggplants
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoon pecorino romano or parmesan
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
• 2 tablespoons chopped basil or parsley
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Tomato Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 16 ounce San Marzano Tomatoes
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Drain Ricotta

• Place ricotta on piece of cheesecloth over colander. (can use paper towels). I use Polly O brand which is more firm than most. Drain excess for up to an hour. Make sauce and sweat eggplant during this time.

Tomato Sauce

• Heat oil in sauce pan and soften garlic. Add tomatoes. Crush with your hands. Continue to cook on low, while preparing dish. Once you're ready to add sauce to dish, you can blend using an immersion blender. This is an option and something I like to do.
  

Sweat Eggplant

• Slice eggplant 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Use a mandolin if you have one for even slicing. Lay out slices and salt to sweat out moisture. This will take about 15-20 minutes. Rinse salt off and dry with paper towels.
  
• Lay eggplant on baking dish on parchment paper. Brush with olive oil and bake at 375 degrees F. for 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness of your eggplant. Test to see if eggplant easily rolls. You don't want to bake so long that you can't roll.

Prepare Ricotta Cheese

• Once drained, mix ricotta with egg, 2 tablespoons of grated pecorino romano and parmesan, 2 tablespoons mozzarella, parsley or basil. Season as needed with ground black papper and salt. If using pecorino, use just a touch salt, a this cheese is salty.
  

Roll Eggplant and Bake

• Once eggplant is baked and cooled, add approximately two tablespoons ricotta mixture to slices and roll. Place sauce on bottom of dish and place eggplant seam side down onto sauce. Top with more sauce, and sprinkle with mozzarella.
  
• Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for 5 to 10 minutes more.
  

The post Eggplant Rollatini appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Ingredients

Italian Sausage – It’s up to you if you want to go mild or hot. You can always add in some red pepper if you want a bit of heat.

Eggplant – Choose firm eggplants that have enough girth to be stuffed. I prefer a little more rounded, rather than long, skinny.

Bell Pepper – Any color of bell pepper works in this recipe. I used green out of a neighbor’s garden. Seed and small dice.

Onion, Garlic – I do like to use a combination, but shallots will do also.

Mozzarella – I always use full fat shredded (for the way it melts), and some parmesan or pecorino romano for flavor.

Olive Oil for sautéeing,

Herbs – Fresh basil or parsley for garnish.

How to Prepare Eggplant

Eggplant can be intimidating. Let me make this easy for you. I like to cut this into cubes the same way you cut a mango. Slice length and crosswise and then scoop out, leaving the eggplant skin in tact to be able to stuff. Salt to sweat out some of the moisture. Wipe any moisture with paper towels.

Process for Italian Sausage Stuffed Eggplant

Put the shells of the eggplant in oven (brushed with olive oil) for about ten minutes.

Dice onion, bell pepper and sautè for five minutes. Then add in loose sausage. Cook thoroughly. Toss eggplant with olive oil and add to sausage. The eggplant will soften in about ten minutes. Stuff the eggplant back into the eggplant shell. Add mozzarella and bake until melted. Serve immediately.

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More Eggplant Dishes from Spinach Tiger

• Italian Eggplant Soup
• Italian Stuffed Eggpant with Ground Veal
• Keto Eggplant Lasagna
• Fried Eggplant (Low Carb)
• Eggplant Parm with Pepperoni (Keto)
• Eggplant Sauce for Pasta
• Eggplant Benedict

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Italian Sausage Stuffed Eggplant

Quick and Easy Eggplant stuffed with Italian Sausage, Topped with Mozzarella Cheese

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Eggplant, Italian sausage

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 Eggplants
• 1 pound Italian Sausage loose
• 1 Bell Pepper diced
• 1 Onion diced
• 1 1/2 cups Mozzarella Cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut eggplant lengthwise.
  
• Cut eggplant into large dice but not all way through, saving the shell of the eggplant for stuffing.
  
• Place in bowl with salt to relieve excess moisture. Once the eggplant sweats, wipe with paper towels. Toss with olive oil.
  
• Take shell of eggplant, brush with olive oil. Place face down in baking pan and bake about ten to 15 minutes to soften inside, which will be stuffed and rebaked to melt mozzarella cheese.
• Dice onion and bell pepper. Sauté in a tablespoon of olive oil for five minutes.
• Add sausage to pan and fry until cooked through.
• Add diced eggplant and cook another five to ten minutes until eggplant is softened.
• Fill eggplant shells. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400 degrees F. for about ten minutes until cheese is melted. Garnish with basil or parsley.
  
• Serve immediately with parmesan or pecorino romano cheese.
  

The post Italian Sausage Stuffed Eggplant Mozzarella appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

You may remember when I posted keto fried eggplant here which is the foundation of this recipe.

Use Pork Panko for the Breading

I use what is keto life is called Pork Panko, which you can buy already made, or easily enough, you can make yourself.

Pork panko is simply pork skins crushed into faux bread crumbs. All you need to do to make your own is buy your favorite pork skins and put them in a food processor. You can store them in a jar in your pantry.

Cooking Tips for Making Keto Fried Eggplant

I  discovered that using a non-stick frying pan with NO oil makes crispier eggplant. I  use the copper chef frying pan that requires no oil or butter.

Quick Tomato Sauce

You can easily use a can of quality San Marzano Tomatoes, which, within about 20 minutes will yield a perfectly good SUGAR FREE, NO NONSENSE Tomato Sauce.

The Filling: Ricotta Cheese for Keto Eggplant Lasagna

I love ricotta cheese, but because it can be a bit bland, I will add a few tablespoons or more of pecorino romano cheese to the mix, with a little nutmeg, parsley, salt and pepper.

Sweat the Eggplant

First make decision as to how many layers you want to make your keto eggplant lasagna. You can decide thick or thinner slices. I also peel the eggplant with a potato peeler to remove the skin. Then After slicing crosswise, I lay on paper towels and salt well. After about an hour, the eggplant will sweat, or release moisture. This helps the eggplant fry better.

Building Keto Eggplant Lasagna

This is the fun part. My ratio is 3 2 1. This means three layers of eggplant, two layers of ricotta cheese and one layer of mozzarella, which all layers have a thin layer of tomato sauce. This is then baked for about 20-30 minutes. Rest for ten minutes.

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Keto Eggplant Lasagna

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Keyword eggplant lasagna, keto eggplant

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 eggplants Medium to large size
• 2 tablespoons salt for sweating eggplant
• 4 eggs beaten
• 2 cups pork panko can substitute almond flour
• 1 1/2 cup pecorino romano grated and divided
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 cups tomato sauce recipe here

Pork Panko

• 4 cups quality pork skins.

Fast Tomato Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves fresh garlic can use garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder optional
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cans San Marzano Whole Tomatoes

Instructions

• Slice off skin. Slice eggplant medium thick about a 3/4 inch or half inch.
• Sweat the eggplant. Lay out on cloth or paper towels and salt heavily on both sides. Use more cloth or paper towels to absorb the liquid.
• Beat 2 eggs. Use more as needed. You may need four eggs.
• Add salt and pepper into eggs.
• Mix pork panko with cheese. I like to use 1/2 cup cheese to 1 cup pork panko, but you can decide for yourself. Keep in mind that pecorino is salty, but I think that adds flavor. You CAN skip the pecorino, if you want to or replace with parmesan.
• Dip into egg, then breadcrumbs and fry eggplant over medium heat NO OIL. until golden brown on each side. Drain on paper towels.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Put tomato sauce in bottom of baking dish. You can use your own sauce, or make the fast sauce below.
• Layer eggplant with tomato sauce and ricotta cheese. You can do three layers of eggplant with two layers of ricotta cheese or two layers of eggplant with one layer of ricotta cheese. It's up to you. I like three layers.
• Top with Tomato Sauce and mozzarella
• Bake until cheese is completely melted and slightly golden brown. Allow to rest 10 minutes before cutting.

Make Homemade Pork Panko

• Take high quality pork skins and place in food processor. They will process quickly and are a good substitution for breadcrumbs.

Fast Tomato Sauce

• Use two large can of San Marzano Tomatoes. Squeeze with hands and use all of the tomato except the very ends of tomato.
• Put small amount of olive oil in sauce pan. Add a garlic cube, some onion powder, salt and pepper. Once garlic is golden (if burned, throw out start over), add tomatoes. Cook on medium low heat, while making the eggplant. this sauce can be ready in as little as twenty minutes.
• You will probably have some sauce left over, which you can freeze for future.

The post Keto Eggplant Lasagna appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

We loved it so much, I’ve made it three times already, and I have to share it with you.

It’s not that you couldn’t figure out how to do this, but you may not think of it. 

Pork Panko for Breading the Eggplant Parmesan Pepperoni

It all starts with low carb Pork Panko, which are processed pork skins. If you don’t have the official Pork Panko, make your own using pork rinds and a food processor. I buy my Pork Panko at Costco, where it’s the most affordable and comes in a two-pack.

Frying with Pork Panko. Every time I  make eggplant parmesan, I  learn something new. This last time I  learned that frying eggplant with Pork Panko yields the best result when using NO oil. Yes, that’s right. The eggplant turned out very crispy and the eggplant was delicious. Fry on low. I  know it’s very tempting to turn up the heat, but the eggplant will be creamier inside when cooked low and slow.

Topping Eggplant Parm with Pepperoni. Are you a pizza lover? I  am, but avoid it most of the time, even the so called keto fat head pizzas, which is just too much cheese for me. When I top my eggplant parmesan with pepperoni, I  get the best of both worlds. 

Tomato Sauce. I stick to my guns on this. There are two things that come in jars that I never buy: Salad dressing and tomato sauce.

You can buy your own sauce, but it’s so much easier to make a quick tomato sauce. My homemade pizza sauce will work perfectly with this recipe because you won’t be using much and it only calls for one can of Cento San Marzano tomatoes. If you want to make a lot more sauce, make my grandmother’s authentic tomato sauce and freeze left overs in ziplock bags for future Italian meals like this sausage crust four cheese pizza (totally keto friendly). 

Thick or thin eggplant. Taking notes from my great godmother and favorite Aunt Rita, I  like to cut my eggplant on the thicker side for eggplant parm and thinner when it’s just a fried snack. You have the choice of layering eggplant or making one layer of thicker slices. 

Remove skin or not.  I did not do this and realized I should have. I used rather large eggplants and the skin was a little tough. If you use small, young eggplants, you may not need to do that.

Salt or not. You may read that salting raw eggplant slices does or doesn’t matter. What it does do is release water and make it easier to fry. I always salt my eggplant on the counter for at least an hour and then use paper towels to absorb the released water and remove the salt. 

These tips above should result is crispy eggplant that is ready to make eggplant parmesan.

Assemble with sauce, your favorite mozzarella, and pepperoni, baking until the cheese is fully melted, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool for another 15 minutes before serving.    

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More Dishes from Spinach Tiger

Italian  Stuffed Eggplant

Italian Eggplant Soup with Sausage

Low Carb Chicken Parm with Pepperoni

Keto Sausage Crusted Pizza with Four Cheeses

Keto Fried Eggplant

Swordfish with Eggplant Sauce

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Low Carb Eggplant Parmesan with Pepperoni

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 eggplants
• salt
• 4 eggs may use less
• 2 cups pork panko ORDER HERE
• 2 cups tomato sauce recipe here
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese shredded
• olive oil coconut oil or avocado oil for frying
• 12 slices pepperoni could use more or less

Instructions

• Slice eggplant. I like it medium thick, about 1 inch if I'm baking it without stacking it. I recommend first slicing off the dark skin.
• Sweat the eggplant. Lay out on cloth or paper towels and salt heavily on both sides. Use more cloth or paper towels to absorb the liquid.
• Beat 2 eggs. Use more as needed.
• Add salt and pepper into eggs.
• Mix panko with cheese. I like to use 1/2 cup cheese to 1 cup pork panko, but you can decide for yourself. Keep in mind that pecorino is salty, but I think that adds flavor. You CAN skip the pecorino, if you want to or replace with parmesan.
• Dip into egg, then breadcrumbs and fry eggplant over medium heat in oil of your choice until golden brown on each side. Drain on paper towels. If you are using a copper chef non-stick pan (I highly recommend for this), you don't need any oil and you will get a very crispy eggplant.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Put small amount tomato sauce in bottom of baking dish.
• Layer eggplant with sauce and mozzarella cheese. I like one layer, but you can make several layers. Top with pepperoni.
• Bake until cheese is completely melted and slightly golden brown. Allow to rest 10 minutes before cutting.

The post Low Carb Eggplant Parmesan Pepperoni appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Fried eggplant was usually my mom’s specialty, but she’s was not likely to make a grain free, keto friendly version.

Keto fried eggplant is versatile.

Keto fried eggplant can be a side dish, an appetizer or the start of keto eggplant parmesan like I made here.

It’s a simple recipe, using Pork Panko (amazon)  (my favorite keto friendly ingredient), but there are few things you have to keep in mind. You can find jars of Pork Panko at Costco now at a very reasonable price.

Fried eggplant is the kind of side or appetizer that will disappear in moments. I hosted a brunch last year and my mom brought her eggplant. It was the only dish completely gone and gone fast!

Is Fried Eggplant keto friendly?

Yes, the pork panko is zero carbs and one cup of cubed eggplant is only 2.3 net carbs.

Cooking Tips for Keto Fried Eggplant

I  discovered that using a non-stick frying pan with NO oil makes crispier eggplant. I  use the copper chef frying pan that requires no oil or butter 

If you’re looking for healthy, low-carb vegetables, I have listed over 30 low-carb vegetables with over 75 recipes here. 

More Eggplant Recipes from Spinach Tiger

Keto Eggplant Parmesan

Keto Eggplant Pepperoni Parm

Spicy Eggplant Sauce

Italian Eggplant Soup with Sausage

Eggplant Stew

Italian Stuffed Eggplant

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Keto Fried Eggplant Recipe

Course Vegetable

Cuisine Italian

Keyword keto eggplant

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 19 minutes minutes

Counter time for Sweating Eggplant 1 hour hour

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 eggplants
• salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 to 4 cups Pork Panko or pork rinds ground to crumbs
• 1 cup pecorino romano grated OPTIONAL
• olive oil optional

Instructions

• Slice eggplant. I like it medium thick, about 1 inch if I'm baking it without stacking it.
• Sweat the eggplant. Lay out on cloth or paper towels and salt heavily on both sides. Use more cloth or paper towels to absorb the liquid.
• Make sure to wipe off salt with paper towels before dipping into egg.
• Beat 2 eggs. You may not need all, so beat more as you need them.
• Add salt and pepper into eggs.
• Mix panko with cheese. I like to use ½ cup cheese to 1 cup pork panko, but you can decide for yourself. Keep in mind that pecorino is salty, but I think that adds flavor. You do not need to use the cheese if you don't want to,
• Dip into egg, then breadcrumbs and fry eggplant over medium low heat. I use a non-stick pan that does not require any oil. This is the best way to fry the eggplant crispy. You can use oil in a frying pan, but I've discovered it's better to use no oil. Medium low heat and patience. The eggplant will get crunchy.
• Season with sea salt




The post Keto Fried Eggplant Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

It’s been my desire to bring you more Italian food like I did in the early days, and this is a keeper. I’m going to make it again tomorrow because veal and eggplant are wildly compatible. Don’t be afraid to make Italian food more often. This has no grains, is keto friendly and gluten free.

I’ve been busy in the kitchen this week coming up with approachable, simple dinners that still provide joy for all the senses and to help encourage you and your family to cook together and stay joyfully connected.

Nothing bonds people more than good food, and Italian food has a special allure.

You can use ground beef or any ground meat with this recipe.

I’ve been enrolled in the masterclass for Alice Waters and I so resonate with her passion for cooking from the senses, not so much the recipe.

This stuffed eggplant just happened in the kitchen, as I began tasting and thinking through how to make the two ingredients (ground veal and eggplant) that I was focusing on work together.

Most of the time in the kitchen, I don’t start with any notes, but I will have mentally focused on what I want to accomplish. I wanted something new with ground veal. I had already made veal meatballs here with ricotta and mozzarella  and  pork and veal bolognese here   It was Retro Rose who suggested I stuff an eggplant.

Italian Stuffed Eggplant is Fast and Flexible

This entire dish takes about 30 minutes, but it will create those Italian flavored aromas that draw everyone into the kitchen.

• Eggplant
• Olive Oil
• Ground Veal or Ground Beef (can even add loose Italian Sausage)
• Fennel powder or fennel seed
• Fresh Herbs or Italian Seasoning
• Tomato or tomato sauce
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Pecorino or Parmesan

I used ground veal, but you can change this up and use ground beef or add in some some ground pork. Some of you prefer ground turkey and that will work also. My mom adds in some loose Italian sausage for extra flavor. I kept the spices simple using fennel powder and some Italian seasoning. Fresh herbs are best if you have them, and basil would be my preference.

While this is a fast and flexible recipe, there are things to consider when cooking with any ground meat.

How to Cook Ground Veal

Veal has amazing flavor, but can be dry because it’s lean and it’s usually packed tight. You will need to use your hands to loosen it up and soak it in some milk. I use the “milk” trick for almost all of my ground meat recipes, but especially the leaner meats. You can also add in a little olive oil instead of milk. 

Garlic loves eggplant, so I’m a little more generous than usual. Just be sure you do not brown the garlic. The rule is, if it browns, throw it out and start over. Better to lose a few cents than a few dollars in your food.

Use medium sized eggs or beat your egg and add gently, perhaps not using it all. This is because there are no grains in this veal to soak it up. You can add in 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, but I’m keeping this grain free for all the gluten free, keto readers I have and because that’s how I eat it. 

How to Prepare the Eggplant for Italian Stuffed Eggplant

There are three ways you can do this, and I chose the easiest and the way Alice Waters probably would.

Cut the eggplant lengthwise, scored on the diagonal, and placed flat down with a tiny bit of olive oil and sea salt. After about 20 minutes, give it a check. Some eggplant gets soft faster than others. Oil the pan first so it doesn’t stick. 

While the eggplant is in the oven, it’s time to mix  and cook the meat. Once the eggplant is cooked, it’s incorporated in with the meat. I would use about 2/3 to 1 pound of veal per eggplant. You may have some left over and you can put that in a small baking dish.

You can choose a number of ways to top the eggplant. Today, I chose cheese, but you could also top with panko or Italian breadcrumbs.  In one version, we simply topped with pecorino. I used about a tablespoon of tomato sauce, but you could simply slice some tomato, or skip it altogether. 

You only need to bake it until until the cheese is melted.

You can also use fresh tomatoes and fresh mozzarella with a little basil for a caprese take.

Let me say this about eggplant and veal. It’s a remarkable combination of flavors. Veal is known for it’s flavor, and eggplant heightens that and brings moisture so this nearly melts in your mouth. You’ll also love my veal meatballs!

More Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Italian Spaghetti Squash Casserole with Sausage & Mushrooms
• Three Cheese Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
• Italian Eggplant Soup
• Keto Fried Eggplant
• Baked Keto Eggplant Parm
• Veal Meatballs with Ricotta and Mozzarella
• Eggplant Bread Pudding
• Eggplant Pepperoni

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Italian Stuffed Eggplant with Ground Veal

Italian Stuffed eggplant with ground veal can be a great lunch or dinner. With or without a topping of mozzarella cheese, veal loves eggplant.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• For Eggplant
• 2 eggplants
• sea salt
• olive oil for brushing

Veal or Ground Beef

• 1 pound ground veal or ground meat of choice
• 1 teaspoon seasalt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chopped basil
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1/3 cup grated pecorino romano or freshly grated parmesan I tend to use both
• 1 teaspoon fennel powder Order Here can use 1/4 t fennel seeds or skip
• 1 egg
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 4 garlic cloves minced

For Eggplant

• 2 tablespoons tomato sauce optional
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Roast Eggplant

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Rinse eggplant and dry with clean towel.
• Cut eggplant lengthwise. Leave stems on.
• Score eggplant in cross hatch pattern, making sure not to cut into skin.
• Season with salt. Brush with olive oil.
• Place face down on baking sheet.
• Bake eggplant for 20 minutes. Check to see how done it it. This will all depend on size. I baked mine for 30 minutes.
• While eggplant is baking, cook veal.

For Ground Veal or Ground Meat

• Loosen veal with hands. Season with salt and pepper. Pour milk over. Let it soak In.
• Mix in herbs, spices and egg.
• In large frying pan, saute onion for five minutes until softened, but not browned. Add garlic, and be careful not to brown.
• Add ground meat, making sure to break apart and cook on low until meat is cooked through, continuing to stir.
• Take eggplant out of the oven. Cool for a few minutes.
• Scoop out all insides of the eggplant, carefully, so as to not break the skin.
• If there is excess water in the baking dish, use paper towel to sop up.
• Add eggplant in to the ground meet.
• Top with tomato sauce, which is optional.
• Top with some mozzarella cheese.
• Bake for ten minutes or until cheese is melted.
• Serve with grated parmesan cheese.
• Active Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes

Notes

I usually use a mixture of parmesan cheese and pecorino romano. The pecorino is a sheep’s cheese, more tangy and salty. Parmesan is a cow’s milk cheese. Only use high quality.

The post Italian Stuffed Eggplant with Ground Veal appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Truth be told, this soup was an accident. I made eggplant stew this summer when the eggplants and tomatoes were sold fresh at the farmer’s market. I felt lazy, but wanted to do something special and comforting with the eggplant.

Italian Eggplant Soup can be make in a crockpot or dutch oven.

I did what I always do, cutting and salting. I then just put tomatoes, red bell pepper, onions, and eggplant in a dutch oven and let it simmer for hours. You could also put this in a crockpot. This montage of vegetables developed into an outstanding eggplant stew, creating an umami type taste, because we could not stop eating it.

I love this oval dutch oven from Lodge. I make so many wonderful dishes in it.

On a whim, I took the leftovers and put them in the Vitamix and made a thick soup, then added Italian sausage. This hit all the notes of Italian comfort food! If you don’t have the fresh tomatoes, use San Marzano Tomatoes in a can.

You will love this soup and you’ll be sad when it’s gone! Make this soup on a cold, wintry day and, because it takes time in the crock pot or dutch oven, make this gluten free french bread to go with it. It only takes an hour start to stop!

You might also like my Pork Panko (Grain Free) Eggplant Parmesan.

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Italian Sausage Vegetable Soup

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Eggplant Soup with Sausage

Eggplant Tomato Soup with Sausage, a hearty yet healthy meal. You can choose to make this vegetarian and skip the sausage.

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 3 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 2 eggplants peeled cut into large cubes
• 2 large cans San Marzano Tomatoes about 6 cups
• 1 bell pepper seeded, sliced thinly, lengthwise
• 1 onion chopped
• fresh basil
• 2 links Italian Sausage or 1/2 pound loose sausage

Instructions

• Chop tomatoes. Set aside. Keep the juice.
• Heat olive oil in a large pot.
• If using a dutch oven on top of the stove, heat olive oil and soften garlic. Add onion and saute for a minute or so just to add flavor to the oil.
• Add the rest of the ingredients.
• Place in crock pot on low for six hours or longer.
• Or, Cook on very low for three hours, until all the eggplant is very soft.
• While eggplant stew is cooking, make sausage. You can either fry or bake in oven until cooked through.
• Cut sausage into discs.Optionally, you could use loose sausage.
• Put ¾ eggplant stew into a vitamix or use an immersion blender. You can blend all of it if you desire.
• Add sausage.
• Serve with fresh herbs and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

The post Italian Eggplant Soup with Italian Sausage appeared first on Spinach Tiger.