The Best Keto-Friendly Eggplant Parmesan You’ll Ever Make

The question of ‘How many carbs in eggplant?’ sparked a creative session in my kitchen that produced what Pedro calls the ‘world’s best eggplant parmesan.’ True eggplant parmesan connoisseurs might scoff at my creative endeavor, but I can eat it with impunity because it fits perfectly with a ketogenic diet. I’ve discovered that self-care involves using our artistic creativity to make small changes with big results.

“I’m taking the applicant out to eat at Mesa Italian Restaurant,” Pedro said. “Did you want to come with us, or is Italian food too high-carb?”

His question sparked an instant craving for eggplant parmesan, one of the few Italian dishes that I love.

“It’s the keto dieter’s Friday the Thirteenth,” I quipped. “I’ll pass this time.” I decided that perhaps I could invent my own version of a keto-friendly eggplant parmesan. The next day, armed with an eggplant, tomato sauce, portabella mushrooms, onions, and spices, I set out to create a keto-friendly eggplant parmesan dish.

After all, the art of eating healthier includes discovering creative ways to make foods we already love healthier for our hearts and our bodies. Of course, once I looked at the cheesy results of my kitchen art, I had misgivings. How could so much cheese benefit me, I wondered.

For years, I believed the ‘low-fat diet is good for you’ fad. While I never went so far as to purchase low-fat cheese (ick), I did limit my intake of cheese. Everyone knows it drips with fat. When I started eating a vegetarian keto diet in May, I had a fair share of relearning to do.

The Dirt on Cheese

This article by Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE on healthline.com helped allay my fears and absolve my cheese guilt.

In fact, cheese consumption has two things going for it that other animal fats don’t. It contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Scientists have discovered that CLA helps humans lose a modest amount of body fat . Go figure. Eat fat to lose weight.

Spritzler also says that.

Cheese is high in saturated fat, but it hasn’t been shown to increase the risk of heart disease. In fact, some studies suggest that cheese may help protect against heart disease

Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE

So, even though cheese doesn’t make the ‘good fat’ list I posted last week, it has health benefits that scientists continue to explore.

Contrary to popular belief, cheese won't kill you. Check out this eggplant parmesan recipe today! #meatlessmonday #ketofriendly #selfcare Click To Tweet

The Carbs in Eggplant

Another concern I had about my keto-friendly eggplant parmesan invention concerned the number of carbs in eggplant. I went to my go-to carb-checking app, Fat Secret, and discovered that one cup of uncooked eggplant has a little under two net carbs. Tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, and zucchini all have low net-carb counts, too, so I made sure to incorporate them into the dish.

You might wonder why I didn’t just look for an existing eggplant parmesan recipe. Good question. I have a habit of eating something and wanting the challenge of making it at home without the benefit of a recipe. You could call it my need for artistic expression, I suppose.

I had a vague idea that to make eggplant parmesan, one has to bread and fry the eggplant. Growing up, when my mom made gluten steaks, she always dipped them in a beaten egg first, before dredging them through the breading mix. Bingo! An egg only has one carb.

The last step in my creation involved creating a breading mix without the usual bread, flour, or cornmeal that traditional breading mixes use. I rummaged through my cupboards until I found the lowest-carb ingredients, and voila! The birth of a keto-friendly eggplant parmesan!

I even let Pedro try it, and he declared it the best eggplant parmesan he’s ever had. He even mentioned that Chef Ramsay would rave over it. Not a bad compliment coming from an avowed eggplant hater!

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Whether you want to go on an all-out keto diet, or just find creative ways to make your meals healthier, know that making small adjustments over time will result in positive changes that will benefit you for life. Variety and change nourish our creative spirit, an important component of self-care. You are worth making changes!

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