Eggplant, a versatile and often underappreciated vegetable, can be a fantastic addition to a Paleo diet. Whether you're looking for a comforting classic or a creative new dish, there are countless ways to enjoy eggplant while staying true to your Paleo principles. This article explores a variety of Paleo-friendly eggplant recipes, from comforting eggplant parmesan to flavorful curries and innovative roll-ups.
Paleo Greek Eggplant Roll-Ups
These Whole30 Greek Eggplant Roll Ups are a bright, tangy, satisfying, and simple meal. The recipe was born out of a vegetable delivery box that included a big eggplant. The roll-ups are stuffed with zesty, lemony Greek chicken, onion, and garlic.
The ingredient list is short, with less than 10 ingredients total, and allergen-friendly, free from grains, gluten, nuts, sugar, and soy.
To prepare, slice the eggplant lengthwise into long, flat strips. While the eggplant cooks, mix the other ingredients together to marinate the chicken. Then, take the eggplant, stuff it with the chicken mixture, and roll it up.
These roll-ups can be served on their own or with a simple side salad or a starchy accompaniment like Salt + Vinegar Magic Potatoes or sautéed cauliflower rice.
Read also: Paleo Granola Recipes
Ingredients:
- Eggplant, sliced lengthwise into strips
- Chicken
- Onions
- Garlic
- Lemon
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lay out the strips of eggplant in a single layer and bake for 10-15 minutes or until pliable, depending on the thickness of the slices.
- While the eggplant bakes, mix all of the other ingredients in a large bowl and toss with the chicken to marinate.
- Once the eggplant is done cooking, allow it to cool enough to touch.
- Take a slice and lay it flat. At one end of the slice, lay 3-4 strips of the marinated chicken and some onion.
- Roll the eggplant around the chicken until it forms a closed roll.
- Lay the completed roll up seam side down on the baking sheet and complete all of the rolls.
- Bake for 18-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Paleo Eggplant Parmesan
Eggplant parmesan is a classic comfort food. This recipe creates a delicious, healthy, paleo, vegan, grain-free version. The eggplant is thinly sliced and crispy, and the sauce is a little sweet and a little spicy.
Here in New York, it’s cold and it’s damp. And it’s dark out at 4:30. Wow, do I hate these short days. But let me say, that a big dish of this paleo eggplant parmesan just makes it all right.
Ingredients:
- 3 medium thin eggplants, sliced thin vertically
- 2 Tbs flax meal whisked into 6 Tbs water (or substitute 2 eggs, beaten and mixed with 2 Tbs water)
- 1-1/2 cups almond meal
- 1-1/2 tsp dried oregano
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1-1/2 Tbs coconut sugar
- 4 oz thinly sliced vegan mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup vegan Parmesan cheese shreds
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Place the egg and water mixture into a shallow pie plate or dish.
- In a second shallow dish, combine the almond meal with the oregano and some salt and black pepper.
- Dip each eggplant slice in the egg mixture and flip to coat well.
- Then dredge each piece in the almond flour mixture, again turning to coat well.
- Place the dredged slices on parchment-lined baking sheets in a single layer, making sure they are not touching each other.
- Place the trays in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Then flip the slices over and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the slices start to get crisp and golden brown. (Note: all ovens are different, so check your slices occasionally to make sure they don't cook too quickly.)
- Meanwhile make the sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, coconut sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When the eggplant is done, remove it from the oven, and reduce the temperature to 350°F.
- Ladle some sauce into the bottom of a 13x11 baking dish (or a dish close to that size).
- Arrange eggplant slices over the sauce, putting them close to each other but not overlapping much.
- Spread some sauce over the eggplant.
- Layer some mozzarella over the sauce.
- Repeat with a second layer (and a third layer if you have extra eggplant).
- After you add your final layer of eggplant, finish with sauce, then mozzarella, and then sprinkle on the Parmesan.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
Grain-Free Eggplant Bake
This is a beautiful - yet very easy to make - warming dish perfect for the time of year when the cooler weather sets in. It's a healthier, grain-gluten-and-dairy free version of lasagna.
Ingredients:
- 1 large eggplant (approximately 500 grams)
- 1 brown onion
- 1 stick celery
- 2 cloves garlic (fresh)
- 400 grams tinned tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 500 grams beef mince
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or dried chilli flakes (optional)
- Salt & pepper to season
- 3 handfuls baby spinach or other leafy greens
- Almonds
- Nutritional yeast
Instructions:
- Take your eggplant and slice it thinly, aiming to get slices about half a centimetre thick.
- Lay on a flat surface, sprinkle with salt, and allow to sit while you prep the rest of the dish (this draws excess moisture out of the eggplant which will stop it making the rest of the dish super soggy, as well as seasoning the eggplant).
- Before you use the eggplant pat off the moisture that has accumulated on the top with a paper towel.
- Preheat your oven to 180˚C.
- Dice your onion and celery, and finely chop your garlic
- Heat a large pan and add a teaspoon of olive oil (or your preferred frying fat).
- Add onion, celery and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until onion starts turning translucent.
- Add the mince to the pan and cook until just browned, breaking up any lumps in the mince as you go.
- When the mince is almost done, add the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste and spices, and season as desired with salt & pepper.
- If you're using the wine add this in too, and cook for 2-3 minutes so the liquid reduces down a bit. Give it all a good stir until it's well combined, and then turn off the heat.
- If you need to prep your greens, do so now, e.g. if using kale leaves, remove the tough inner stems and roughly chop into pieces (if using baby spinach you probably just need to give it a bit of a rinse).
- Take a baking dish and layer as follows: layer of meat mixture, layer of greens, layer of eggplant.
- For my baking dish, which was wide and shallow (approximately 20 x 30 cm), I did two layers. However, you could do more depending on what size your baking dish is. Finish with an eggplant layer.
- Top the dish with some almond "parmesan", which you make as follows: place almonds and nutritional yeast in your food processor (or blender) and pulse until you get a nice fine crumb. (You can store this in a jar in the fridge if you don't use all of it; it will last a few weeks.)
- Drizzle a little olive oil over the whole thing and then bake for 45 minutes to an hour.
Eggplant Lasagna
This recipe helps maximize your time. While the eggplant slices are roasting and the sauce is simmering, you’ll make the cashew cream. Once the lasagna is assembled and baking, you’ll mix up the crumbly topping.
Ingredients:
- 3 large eggplants
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Diced onions
- Diced tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Chili flakes
- Balsamic vinegar
- Cashews
- Almond milk
- Fresh basil
- Raw almonds
- Almond flour
- Melted coconut oil
- Ground beef or turkey (optional)
Instructions:
- Start by cutting three large eggplants the long way, into half-inch slices.
- Brush with olive oil, and bake until soft.
- Next, make the red sauce with garlic, diced onions, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chili flakes, and balsamic vinegar.
- This combination creates a pungent, spicy and well-balanced sauce that tastes great in between the layers of eggplant.
- To make the cashew cream, blend soaked and drained cashews with almond milk and garlic until silky.
- Cashews contain starch that will help thicken up a sauce, so this is a great replacement for ricotta cheese.
- Now it’s time to start layering: start by spreading some tomato sauce into a deep baking dish, then add a single layer of the baked eggplant.
- Add more tomato sauce, a drizzle of cashew cream, fresh basil, and more eggplant.
- Keep layering until all the ingredients are used.
- While the lasagna cooks, make the crumbly “breadcrumb” topping by pulsing raw almonds in a food processor until crumbly, then mix with almond flour.
- You can just use almond flour for this if you want to, but the homemade crumbles add more dimension to the mix.
- Stir in melted coconut oil and mix until uniformly wet.
- Sprinkle evenly over the lasagna and bake for another 10 minutes.
Paleo Baked Eggplant with Tomato
This paleo Baked Eggplant Recipe with Tomato highlights the intense flavor of summer produce. The eggplant gets a little time alone with some salt before cooking, which helps to draw out the bitterness.
Read also: Paleo Diet Delivered: What You Need to Know
Ingredients:
- Eggplant
- Coarse kosher salt
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Tomato
- Sea salt
- Smoked paprika
- Cumin
- Black pepper
- Tomato paste
- Water
- Toasted almonds
- Fresh mint
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Place the eggplant in a colander in the sink and season generously with coarse kosher salt; let the eggplant sit like this for 30 minutes.
- Add 4 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once hot, add the onion and cook until starting to soften, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add the tomato, sea salt, smoked paprika, cumin, and black pepper, and cook until the tomatoes are softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and water, and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Turn off heat.
- When the eggplant is done with its salt marinade, rinse each piece off and gently wring out the excess water.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large baking sheet.
- Toss the eggplant in the oil to coat and then arrange the pieces in a single layer cut side down.
- Bake the eggplant until tender and starting to turn golden, about 25 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
- To get a little more color on the eggplant, run it briefly under the broiler when it’s done baking (stay with it because it can burn quickly).
- To serve, arrange the eggplant on a platter; spoon the sauce on top (re-heat the sauce if you want), and sprinkle on the toasted almonds and fresh mint.
Eggplant Fries
You can easily change the flavor of these eggplant fries by altering the spices used to coat them. Eggplant tends to soak up other flavors very easily, so they are versatile for sweet or savory recipes.
Ingredients:
- Eggplant
- Almond meal
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Paprika
- Salt
- Egg
- Olive oil
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Stir together the almond meal, rosemary, thyme, paprika, and salt in a shallow dish.
- In a separate dish, whisk the egg and olive oil together.
- Dip an eggplant slice into the egg mixture and then dredge in the almond flour mixture.
- Place on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining eggplant.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning once, until the fries are crispy and golden brown.
- Serve immediately.
Paleo Eggplant Curry
This curry doesn't contain any meat or fish. It's still very filling, though, and contains good amounts of good fats from the coconut milk. Mushrooms are especially great at giving a meaty texture to the dish.
Ingredients:
- 5 small eggplants
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 green onions
- 1 red chili pepper
- 4 oz ¼ lb white mushrooms, quartered
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 4 very ripe tomatoes
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Cilantro
- Coconut milk
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 400 F.
- While the oven heats up, wrap each eggplant in aluminum foil.
- Place in the oven and cook for 50 minutes to an hour.
- Remove the eggplants from the oven and let them cool.
- After the eggplants are cool enough to handle, cut them in half and spoon out the flesh.
- Discard the skin and keep the flesh in a bowl.
- Using a fork, break apart the flesh to ensure that there are no large chunks.
- Put aside for later use.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, saute garlic in the cooking fat.
- Allow it to cook for about two minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the green onion, chili pepper, and mushrooms to the skillet.
- Saute for about 5 minutes.
- Add all the spices to the skillet.
- Stir well and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Simmer for another 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are tender.
- Add the eggplant puree, followed by the cilantro and coconut milk.
Paleo Stuffed Eggplant
Italian Eggplant Stuffed with Garlic, Onion, Ground Beef and Tomato Sauce. Baked.
Ingredients:
- Eggplant
- Garlic
- Onion
- Ground beef
- Tomato sauce
- Almond flour
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Process the garlic, remove to small dish and pulse the onion until just chopped.
- Set aside.
- Next, wash and dry eggplant.
- Trim the ends and split down the middle lengthwise.
- Use a spoon to scrape out most of the meat, leaving a nice "boat" or shell in-tact to hold the filling.
- Transfer the eggplant boats on baking sheet lined with tin-foil.
- Place the eggplant meat into the bowl of the food processor and pulse until chopped (alternately, hand chop until diced).
- Set a large frying pan over medium high heat.
- Once hot, add 1 1/2 Tablespoons of olive oil.
- Heat oil for 30 to 45 seconds and add chopped onion and chopped eggplant along with 1 tsp of kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Add ground beef to onion mixture and use a spoon to break up any large pieces.
- Drain beef mixture through a fine mesh colander to remove excess liquid and fat.
- Return to frying pan, lower heat to medium and add 1 1/2 cups of the pasta sauce.
- Remove pan from heat and divide beef mixture up among eggplant boats.
- Grab the almond flour and olive oil topping and divide among eggplant.
- Place in the oven on the center rack and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until eggplant is fork tender.
Paleo Eggplant Meatballs
These paleo eggplant meatballs have no meat in them. They taste like little bites of eggplant parmesan. But, this recipe contains no grains and no cheese.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium/large eggplant, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 5 large garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ cup vegan Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 egg white, beaten with a fork
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Place the eggplant, onion, and garlic on the baking tray and toss with the oil and a bit of salt and pepper.
- Roast in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until you start to see some charred edges.
- Remove from oven and now reduce the oven temp to 375°F.
- Scrape the roasted veggies into a food processor.
- Pulse 10 times -- you want there to still be some chunks in the mixture.
- Transfer the veggie mixture to a large bowl and stir in the almond flour, basil, Parmesan and egg white.
- Combine well.
- Roll into golf ball - size balls. (I found it easier to do this with wet hands).
- Arrange the balls on the baking tray (use the same piece of parchment paper).
- Bake for about 50 minutes, without turning the balls over.
- You will know they are done when they release from the parchment paper without sticking.
- Make sure you let the balls cool before you try to release them completely; this will help them release more easily without sticking.
Whole30 Roasted Eggplant Salad
Healthy and delicious roasted eggplant salad with roasted bell peppers, toasted almonds, olives, and more.
Read also: Paleo Mayonnaise Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 large eggplant
- 2 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Olives
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Cilantro
- Oregano
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Ground black pepper
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and place the eggplant cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and add the bell pepper halves skin side next to the eggplant.
- Drizzle everything with 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1/4 tsp sea salt, and toss the eggplant with your hands to coat.
- Rub the bell pepper skin with the oil evenly.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, tossing the eggplant halfway through (toast the almonds in the next step while you wait for the veggies to be done).
- The skin on the peppers should turn charred and bubbly when done.
- Add sliced almonds on a small baking sheet and spread in an even layer.
- Toast on the lower rack of the oven for 4-6 minutes until lightly browned and toasted.
- Set aside to cool.
- Once the vegetables are done roasting, let cool for about 5 minutes.
- Peel the skin of the bell peppers with your hands, then cut them lengthwise into thin strips.
- Place the eggplant cubes and bell pepper strips in a large bowl along with 1 tbsp olive oil, olives, lemon juice, garlic, cilantro, oregano, 1/2 tsp sea salt, ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using.
The Health Benefits of Eggplant and Key Ingredients
Beyond their delicious taste and versatility, eggplant and the ingredients commonly paired with it in these recipes offer a range of health benefits:
- Eggplant: In eastern medicine, eggplant is added to the diet when there is pain in the body because it’s great for relieving pain and reducing swelling. It’s especially good to eat eggplant when you are experiencing some nasty digestive issues. It relieves stomach pain, helps with dysentery, diarrhea, and painful urinary conditions.
- Almonds: In Asian medicine, nuts are known to be good for your brain, heart, skin and reproductive system. Almonds are particularly nutritious. They are a good source of protein and they give you energy. And, they are gluten-free. Almonds will help relieve a cough and asthma and are also good for constipation.
- Oregano: Oregano is a powerful antioxidant and it is great at fighting bacteria. It’s also known as an herb that brings joy and happiness to people.
- Tomatoes: In Chinese medicine, we use tomatoes to aid in digestion and to help detoxify the body. They are also good to combat excess cholesterol, lessen inflammation and curb asthma.
- Garlic: Garlic is amazing in its antiviral and antibacterial capabilities. Garlic is actually a Chinese herb (Da Suan). It’s used to kill toxins and parasites and also to reduce swelling in the body.
- Basil: Basil has anti-viral and anti-bacterial capabilities. It also is good for settling your stomach, and it’s good at lessening the symptoms of the common cold and its accompanying cough. Basil is a spiritual herb - the scent actually calms you.
- Onions: Onions are great for your immune system; they are a natural antihistamine.