HEALTHY AIR FRYER EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Healthy Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan image

No need to bread and fry the eggplant, because when smothered in sauce and melted cheese, there's no reason for the extra step-or the extra fat and calories. This dish combines excellent nutrition and cheesy goodness with a sneaky omega-3 crunch from walnuts.

Provided by Fancy Pants

Time 25m

Yield 2

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

nonstick cooking spray
¾ cup walnuts, crushed
¼ cup dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
sea salt to taste
¾ cup marinara sauce
8 ounces shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pinch dried oregano, or to taste
1 pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste

Steps:

Preheat an air fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) according to manufacturer's instructions. Liberally coat basket with cooking spray.
Combine crushed walnuts, bread crumbs, and basil in a bowl. Set aside.
Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer in the prepared air fryer basket (slight overlapping is okay). Mist the tops of the eggplant slices liberally with cooking spray and lightly sprinkle with garlic powder, black pepper, and sea salt. Top with walnut bread crumb mixture.
Air-fry the rounds until eggplant is soft and golden brown. 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove from the air fryer and top each slice with about 1 tablespoon marinara sauce and 1 heaping tablespoon mozzarella cheese. Then, sprinkle the slices with Parmesan cheese, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes.
Air-fry until the cheese is hot and bubbly, 5 to 7 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 845.5 calories, Carbohydrate 54.8 g, Cholesterol 70.7 mg, Fat 52.3 g, Fiber 18.6 g, Protein 50.3 g, SaturatedFat 15.5 g, Sodium 1445 mg, Sugar 18.6 g