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Eggplant Parmesan Tower Recipe
Recipes | April 03, 2013
I am very proud and happy to share this special recipe with you, because it is the BOMB! This meal is not only light and made out of nutritious food, but also restaurant status delicious and SO prettyyyy 🙂 I got many compliments for this dish and I am sure that you will too.
Ingredients
3 Eggplant rounds, 1/2 cup almond flour, 2 table spoons of Arrowroot powder, 1 large egg, 2 tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic, 3 thin slices of mozzarella, about 3 tablespoons of shredded parmigiano-reggiano, 3 tablespoons of grapeseed oil, 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon of fresh basil, 2 table spoons of pine nuts, salt & pepper, sweet paprika powder and couple of small basil leaves for garnish.
Instructions
1. Crack and whisk an egg in one bowl, and combine almond flour with a pinch of salt in another bowl.
2. Season each eggplant round with salt and then coat with the arrowroot powder. This step will make the egg stick better. The reason why I am using the arrowroot powder is for the nutrition value which is higher then, then one of flour or cornstarch. In general I suggest that you use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch in your cooking as a healthier and more nutritional option for you.
3. Next step is to dip the eggplant in egg and then coat it in the almond flour.
4. Use the almond flour instead of breadcrumbs. I know that it sounds weird if you have never tried it before, but I can guarantee that you will be surprised how tasty it is, plus its another healthier substitute.
5. Next step is to chop coarsely the tomatoes and the garlic cloves.
6. In a medium skillet preheat 1 tablespoon of grapeseed oil and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium to high heat. Saute the garlic first for about 30 seconds and then add the tomatoes before the garlic starts to get brown. Cook the tomatoes until they completely break down and become soft. Make sure to stir them here and there. It will take about 10 to 12 minutes. In the mean time, preheat the oven for 425°F.
7. In another skillet, heat up the remaining amount of both oils over medium to high heat and saute the coated eggplant rounds until golden brown on both sides. Transfer onto paper towel covered plate. The paper towel will soak up the unnecessary grease out of the eggplant.
While the tomatoes are cooking, you have time to crush the pine nuts. If you don’t have an awesome mortar and pestle like me, well, get creative 🙂
Combine the pine nuts with cooked tomatoes and garlic and add the fresh finely chopped thyme and basil leaves.
8. Create the first stack on a non-stick baking sheet with one eggplant round, cover with a tablespoon of the tomato sauce, 1 slice of mozzarella cheese, and 1 teaspoon of parmigiano-reggiano. You can’t see the parmesan cheese on top of the mozzarella in this picture, because it’s not there, but you make sure to top it up.
9. Create another 2 layers on top of the first one. This is an excellent looking tower and its ready to go to the oven for about 12 minutes until the cheese on top is melted and starts bubbling.
Congrats for creating this amazing Eggplant Parmesan Tower, now just garnish it with a few small basil leaves and dash of sweet paprika on top. Done.
Enjoy and let me know how much this recipe has changed your life 😉
Z.
Private Member |
Ego definitely went through the roof. Do you know the famous french chef called Bocuse? Thank you, Zuzanna, for sharing all of this. I would love to support you by buying the new yoga dvd and am looking forward to shipping options to europe! Then I will realize that my legs can’t be spread apart wide enough, laugh, and still love it as I do your workouts. Great job!
Private Member |
mega meal, thank you 🙂
Private Member |
RE: Olive Oil. This is for who thinks it is cancerogenic when heated. I am Italian and I know what I talk about, so trust me: Olive oil can be used to fry it is NOT cancerogenic when heated. Of course the olive oil needs to be proper olive oil or an extra virgin one, not a surrogate they sell as olive oil but in reality it is mixed up with any other kind of oils (they do it a lot nowadays). Of course you don’t have to burn the oil and you don’t have to re-use it to fry again the next time (THAT becomes cancerogenic).
Now, the problem with frying with olive oil is that a) the meal becomes stodgy; b) the meal becomes fatty.
That is why when I cook the aubergine parmigiana I never fry the aubergines at all I simply grill them, so I get the same taste avoiding the fat ;-). I hope this helps to clarify any confusion 🙂
Private Member |
This recipe was absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for the step by step instructions. I will be making this more often 🙂
Private Member |
Hi Zuzana! I’m a french fan 🙂 is it a possible to have permission to copy pase your text , I will translate to faster…. thank you
Private Member |
Hello, I have a question about almond flour. Not sure I have seen that in Czech Republic but it looks like grinded almonds, is that right?
Private Member |
Impressive!
Private Member |
Just had it for lunch and it is simply one of the yummiest dishes ever! I am sure even my Eggplant-hating boyfriend will like it since you hardly taste it. The tomato sauce is a hit! Will probably use it as a base for future pasta meals – maybe even with your vegetable pasta? Thanks so much Zuzanna! Lots of love from Australia!
Private Member |
Not only are your recipes super healthy, but they are usually one to two servings! It is really hard to find great recipes without having a ton of leftovers. Thanks so much for sharing your wealth of knowledge and expertise with us! You’re amazing.
Private Member |
Ha! I saw arrowroot powder in the store the other day, and had no idea what it could be used for! Now I know, I’ll definitely try this one!