So, I recently went to an Italian restaurant – really craving pasta. I knew they had gluten free pasta and was excited to get something different from my “healthy” usual. I ordered it with a plain marinara sauce. I also ordered a side of steamed broccoli – to help balance out my carb indulgence.
When my pasta bowl arrived, the penne shaped pieces were all broken up and quite honestly looking like mush. When I tasted it, my suspicion was confirmed – YEP – MUSH. So disappointing since I have had amazing gluten free pasta at other restaurants in the past. Oddly, they didn’t offer to remake the dish – they only offered to replace it with something else. So no pasta for me! I ended up doing their scallops appetizer. Disappointing!
Why am I telling you all of this? Because, I still had that hankering for straight up Italian pasta. Plus, I remember having the eggplant parmesan from this restaurant years ago before I went full-time gluten-free, and it was so good. Sometimes in life, you just must take matters into your own hands. So I did just that!
And so I took the time and recreated one of my favorite Italian dishes to be gluten free. While this is a more time-consuming dish, as I normally aim to keep my meals to about 30-40 minutes max, the leftovers will yield you much time saved. And doesn’t Italian always get better over time as it sits in the fridge for a few days? You can even freeze the second tray for another time!
These are my new go-to breadcrumbs – better than the gluten containing variety (in my opinion). I have used them for my Air Fryer Chicken Tenders, Zucchini Fries and Kick’n Chicken Patties.
Here is the finished plated product. Love my Jovial brand pasta – closest to real gluten containing pasta.
While this is a cleaner version of Eggplant Parmesan, it’s not one of my cleaner meals. And that is OK!!! We have to indulge every now and again. This is still a healthier take on what you would get in most restaurants. This meal will completely satisfy ANY Italian craving!
Bon Appetit!
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Healthy Cheers!
Your Clean Eating Health Coach,
