Whole30 + Keto Crispy Baked Eggplant

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants, sliced into 1/2” thick rounds
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 cups pork rind panko
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce or pesto to serve on top

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF. Place a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet.
2. Lay the sliced eggplant on the wire rack. Salt them on both sides and let them sit for 10 minutes. This will draw out the excess water, draw out the bitterness, as well as seasoning them. After the 10 minutes, squeeze them with a paper towel to absorb all the excess moisture.
3. Set up your dredging station. In a large bowl, beat the egg. In a separate bowl, add the pork rind panko. Dip the eggplant slices in the egg, drip off excess, then coat in the pork rind panko on both sides, pressing lightly to adhere. Place the coated eggplant on the wire rack set in the rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with all the eggplant.
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the eggplant is soft and the exterior coating is extra crispy.
5. Serve warm, topped with marinara sauce or pesto sauce. I love serving mine with a caesar salad!

Notes

The food photo has just 3 eggplant slices on the plate. But when I eat this I’ll eat for sure 6. Assume 1 eggplant per person if you’re serving the eggplant as the center of the meal. If it’s being served as a side this would feed 4 people.

You could use almond flour in place of pork rind panko. Won’t be as crispy, but still Whole30 + keto.

If you don’t need it to be Whole30 + Keto you could use regular panko, gluten free panko, bread crumbs, etc.

If you need it to be egg free, you can use a flax egg. Mix 1 cup water with 1/2 cup flax meal (or flax seed)

My favorite Whole30 + Keto friendly marinara sauce is Rao’s! You can get it at almost any major grocery store.