Baked Almond Crusted Eggplant Bites

team • Sep 05, 2019
Since moving to Florida, my fiancé and I absolutely love making weekly trips to the local Farmer's Market. 
 
During the "in-season" months, which typically range from October through April, the market really thrives with amazing vendors offering fruits, veggies, local seafood, artisan crafts, fresh crepes and coffee, tie dye shirts, native plants and honey. "Off-season", the market is stocked with the staples, on a much smaller scale, but we LOVE it year-round!

Plus, the added benefit of spending some uninterrupted quality time with my man, getting fresh air, and getting our bodies moving on a weekend morning has its perks, too.
Over the couple years we've lived here, we've gotten to know some of the vendors from our frequent visits and have built some great relationships with the people we encounter there. One of our favorite people at the market is our friend Eldridge, of Eldrige's Produce, who is an in-season regular. He quickly took a liking to Dave and me, always getting excited when he'd spot us at the market (although it was mostly probably my six-foot-six fiancé who you can spot from 100 feet away!) and would shout a huge "HELLO!" at us from across the park. He loves hearing about what we've been up to, or if anything exciting has been going on, or which family or friends of ours have been in town. And his interest appears to be truly genuine.
The night after we got engaged, we made our routine trip to the market, and Eldridge almost hit the floor in excitement when we shared the good news with him. He was sincerely so happy for us. He came over to give me a huge hug, and shook Dave's hand to say "congratulations". He's been one of our biggest fans since we met him.

Eldridge's fruits and veggies are fantastic - always fresh, vibrant and full of flavor. We picked up some beautiful baby eggplants one day that were screaming to become our next experiment! I've only ever seen the larger eggplants, but the smaller ones were too cute to pass up.

Check out my recipe below for a healthier version of "breaded" eggplant - tossed in almond meal, spices, baked instead of fried, and completely inspired by our weekly trips to the market. The beauty of this dish (and like most of my other recipes!) is that the spices can always be added or left out or even increased or decreased to your liking! Don't like heat? Leave it out! Like other spices? Add them in!  

Can't wait for you to try them!

Baked Almond Crusted Eggplant Bites

prep time: 15 M cook time: 30 M total time: 45 M

ingredients:

  • 8-12 mini eggplants, sliced to about 1/4 inch thick
  • 2 eggs at room temperature, beaten
  • 1 cup of almond meal
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp parsley
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup of red sauce or vodka sauce, heated (for dipping)

instructions:

How to cook Baked Almond Crusted Eggplant Bites

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a couple baking sheets by lining with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. To create the breading mixture, combine the almond meal, garlic powder, parsley, basil, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Mix together.
  3. With one hand, dip the sliced eggplant in the egg and shake off any excess.
  4. Toss the eggplant into the breading. With your other hand, make sure both sides get covered with the mixture. NOTE: Switching hands will allow you to keep one hand as the "wet" hand (for the egg) and the other hand as a "dry" hand (for the breading). This technique will help reduce the chance of the breading clumping up as you continue working through the batch.
  5. As each piece is prepared, lay out on the baking sheet, leaving just a smidgen of space between each eggplant slice. To maximize crispiness, you won't want them to touch on the tray when they go to bake.
  6. When all of the eggplant is breaded, place into the oven for a total of about 30 minutes. After about 15 minutes, take out of the oven, flip the slices over, and allow the eggplant to continue cooking on the other side until golden brown.
  7. Let the eggplant cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a plate and enjoy! You can eat it plain, or dunked in some sauce, warmed over medium heat in a small saucepan.
Created using The Recipes Generator

Other Recipes You May Like

By Alli Heiman 06 Mar, 2022
These no-bake pecan clusters are the perfect cure for my sweet tooth. Simple to make and only require a couple of ingredients!
By Alli Heiman 06 Mar, 2022
These easy grab-and-go pancake muffins are the perfect breakfast for busy mornings. Prep a big batch at once and enjoy them all week long!
By Alli Heiman 21 Feb, 2022
The only basil pesto recipe you need. So good on pasta, with shrimp, in a sandwich or by the spoonful.
By Alli Heiman 05 Jan, 2020
Oatmeal for breakfast is my go-to for meal prep when the thought of eggs isn't eggsactly sitting well with me. One of my favorite things about oatmeal is that it's warm and hearty. It always seems to hit the spot, too. It's versatile and can be combined with so many different toppings - like fruit, nuts, granola, nut butters, and cinnamon. Another bonus: it's easy to cook a lot of oatmeal at once and enjoy it all week long without a lot of extra effort. The recipe below calls for 2-3 servings, so you can simply double the water and oats to make a double batch. To me, oatmeal isn't complete without the addition of raisins, though you can certainly omit them if they aren't your thing. Same goes for the fruit on top. You can use blueberries, sub them for strawberries or whatever your favorite fruit (or other) toppings are, or do without them. I also always add cinnamon - maybe an amount some might think is a little crazy - just before serving for that finishing touch. I also am 100% team #ThickOatmeal, though I know plenty of people enjoy it a little looser than I do. If that's the case, add in a nice splash of your favorite milk while it's still on the stove just before you serve it.
By Alli Heiman 05 Jan, 2020
It's pretty crazy just how much Trader Joe's cauliflower gnocchi has taken over the internet in 2019. Those little pouches of fluffy goodness are so versatile and really are like a blank canvas for any sort of flavors you want to combine them with. Enter: these sweet, decadent Cinnamon Sugar Gnocchi! They are a TREAT! Warm crispy gnocchi, tossed in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. They remind me of a cinnamon sugar donut but "healthier" ... okay maybe that word is a little bit of a stretch, but hey. We all deserve everything in moderation. Are they breakfast? Yes. Are they dessert? Yes. Are they delicious no matter what time of day you eat them? YES. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!
By Alli Heiman 29 Dec, 2019
Yes, we all know that avocado toast has the reputation of being basic and a food that is totes popular with the millennial generation. I can be pretty basic at times, and I am a millennial, so that explains why I love it so much! On its own, the avocado is a powerhouse little fruit (yes, fruit!). It's packed with lots of nutrients your body needs to keep happy and healthy. I always try to keep a few avocados in our stash, so I can easily incorporate them into my meals - sliced with eggs, smashed on toast, transformed into guac, added to salads or tacos. Above all though, my favorite application for avocado time after time is always smashed on toast. Even better - it can make for a light meal or an easy snack when combined with a pinch of salt and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper. You can dress it up with some tomato slices, or make it into more of a complete meal by adding a drippy egg on top, or serving it alongside scrambled eggs as an alternate to butter on your toast. There are really so many options. Here's one of my favorite avocado tips so you don't constantly slice them open to find them brown all over: Once they begin to feel ripe by gently squeezing the fruit and feeling a tiny amount of give, place them into the fridge and they will last even longer than on your countertop.
By Alli Heiman 29 Dec, 2019
Think of Crispy Prosciutto as the best big sister to bacon. When baked just right, it's crispy, salty and seriously heavenly. Don't get me wrong - plain old prosciutto slices on their own or as part of a charcuterie board are what dreams are made of and one of my absolute favorite indulgdences. In the rare event that you bought too much (is this a thing?) or have some leftovers that you won't be able to eat in time for it to be perfectly fresh, it doesn't have to go to waste! I randomly decided to bake up a few slices we had left for breakfast one morning and you could say it was one of the best decisions ever. YUM!
By Alli Heiman 25 Dec, 2019
This dessert NEVER disappoints. I promise. Maybe you've heard it referred to as "Christmas Crack" or "Hanukkah Crack" or "Saltine Toffee Candy" or "Chocolate Covered Saltines" - nonetheless, it's delicious whatever the heck you call it! This dessert is perfect year-round, for any occasion. Chocolate Bark been a tradition in our family since before I can even remember (though I don't even know what our official name for it is!) Over the years, I've introduced the "gluten free version" to friends and coworkers, and it's always a hit and devoured down to every last bite. It's chocolatey, salty, sweet, crunchy, and addicting. Bonus points for it being such an easy dessert to whip up, plus it's easy to make in a large batch for any crowd. The best part about this Chocolate Bark is that there are so many gluten free crackers out there that work well. I've used both Glutino and Schar table crackers and both are fantastic! Any type of cracker that's thin and mimics the classic saltine cracker would be great options. The gluten lovers never even notice that this dessert "is gluten free" ... unless of course, they see me snagging bites for myself!
By Alli Heiman 09 Nov, 2019
Food Network has always been one of my favorite TV channels to watch. There are so many great personalities on there and it’s really fueled both my love and inspiration for cooking. One show I used to watch regularly, which I’m honestly not sure is even still on air, is Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee . Have you seen it? She’s this quirky, goofy woman who whips up creations in the kitchen that are semi-homemade, meaning not everything is made from scratch. Some items are already made whether they are frozen or bought from the store, but she adds her own flare to them and the end result is still a unique and creative recipe. In all reality, the average person (myself included!) doesn’t have time to make everything from scratch all the time, so finding shortcuts is the key to keeping sane in the kitchen some days! That’s why I love this recipe. I really am unskilled in the baking arena, so when it comes to breads or other baked goods, I need all the help I can get. I use premade dinner rolls from a local bakery or the frozen aisle in the grocery story, but then elevate them by adding butter, garlic, parsley and shredded cheese. Semi-homemade deliciousness.
By Alli Heiman 09 Nov, 2019
This is one of my favorite Thanksgiving dessert recipes, which is also perfect to enjoy all throughout fall! One of my college girlfriends introduced this to me years ago. Since then, I've adapted it and shared it with family and friends, and it's a hit every year during the holidays. It's made with only four ingredients (yes, really!) - cool whip, vanilla pudding mix, canned pumpkin and pumpkin spice. The recipe also couldn't be easier to make and comes together in just a matter of minutes, making it the perfect candidate for a last minute dessert if you find yourself in a pinch. My favorite cookies for dunking are vanilla wafers or ginger cookies, both in the gluten free variety, of course!
More Recipes
Share by: