Imagine crisp eggplant layered with marinara and plenty of melted cheese. Baked Eggplant Parmesan is a real treat and is fairly simple to make. You’ll love this vegetarian alternative to our Classic Chicken Parmesan.
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My sister-in-law gave me gorgeous eggplants from her garden and the first thing that came into my head was Baked Eggplant Parmesan. The end result provided a mouth-watering spin on a classic Italian dish that even my children love!
What is Baked Eggplant Parmesan?
Eggplant Parmesan is a traditional Italian dish. Its Italian name is melanzane alla parmigiana. The dish is made in a shallow pan layering baked eggplant with marinara sauce and cheese. This dish is baked and not fried, so it’s less calorie-rich than classic fried Eggplant Parm, but it’s just as tasty.
Baked Eggplant Parmesan:
Traditionally, this tasty dish involves fried slices of eggplant to create the crisp layers like chicken parm. In our version, the eggplant is sliced and baked with a breadcrumb and parmesan coating. The tasty coating crisps the eggplant slices as they bake giving you a similar result to frying the slices – all with fewer calories, less mess, and still with plenty of delicious flavor.
Ingredients for Baked Eggplant Parmesan:
- Eggplant: use fresh, ripe eggplant (see tips below on how to avoid bitter eggplant)
- Flour & Eggs: Dredge in flour and dip sliced eggplant in the eggs to help hold on the crisp topping
- Breadcrumbs: Using panko bread crumbs adds a nice crunchy texture, but you can also use Italian bread crumbs
- Parmesan Cheese: Adds a wonderful flavor to the eggplant
- Garlic: Italian food without garlic isn’t really Italian food!
- Marinara Sauce: we prefer Homemade Marinara, but store-bought works
- Fresh Basil: Optional, but a nice touch and adds freshness and color
- Mozzarella Cheese: melts and forms a beautiful crust
How to Avoid Bitter Eggplant:
Ripe eggplant has a slight give when you squeeze, but the skin pops back when you release the sides.
Eggplants have a short shelf life, so it is very important to use eggplant that is ripe and cooked soon after being picked or purchased. The older the eggplant, the more likely it is to become bitter. If you have more tips on avoiding bitter eggplant, please share them in a comment below!
Do I have to Salt the Eggplant?
Salting is optional here, but it can help sweat out any bitter flavor in the eggplant. Sprinkle the eggplant with 1 teaspoon of salt and let it rest on a baking sheet for 30-60 minutes. Then, pat the eggplant dry with paper towels.
How to Make Baked Eggplant Parmesan
1. Breading Eggplant: Line of 3 rimmed dishes in order – flour, salt, and pepper; then beaten eggs; and finally bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Bread eggplant slices by dipping them in each bowl in order.
2. Baking the Eggplant: Place breaded eggplant onto greased baking sheets and sprinkle the tops lightly with salt. Drizzle the tops with olive oil or spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake them until tender, be sure to flip them over halfway through cooking.
3. Prepare the Sauce: We like making our Homemade Marinara Sauce adding some fresh garlic and basil.
4. Assemble the Eggplant Parmesan for Baking: Spread marinara sauce over the bottom of a pan. Then spread half of the eggplant slices, cover with mozzarella cheese and repeat the process. Bake on 375 until the cheese is melted and slightly golden.
What to Serve with Baked Eggplant Parmesan:
This main course can be a heavy dish with lots of cheese and sauce, so I highly recommend choosing lighter side dishes to balance the entire meal. Here are some of my favorite side dishes to serve with Eggplant Parm.
- Caesar Salad: classic light dressing
- Garlic Bread: quick, easy and excellent with saucy eggplant parm
- Caprese Salad: fresh and colorful
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts: caramelized and flavorful
How to Store Eggplant Parm:
Eggplant Parmesan is a versatile dish that can be made ahead and frozen before baking or stores easily as leftovers.
- To Refrigerate: let leftovers cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: wrap the assembled, but unbaked, Eggplant Parmesan in several layers of plastic wrap and freeze up to 3 months then thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed. The baking process is similar to reheating our Lasagna Roll-Ups.
More Eggplant Recipes:
If you love eggplant recipes, you are sure to find some new favorites in this list. We have everything from eggplant casseroles to eggplant appetizers. P.S. That first spicy eggplant recipe is wildly delicious.
- Spicy Eggplant Recipe: Natasha’s Personal Favorite
- Eggplant Spread: A warm and creamy spread
- Eggplant Caviar: Excellent on rye toasts
- Eggplant with Red Pepper Sauce: a unique and delicious side
- Baked Eggplant Sandwiches: You’ll love the spread!
- Smadar’s Shakshuka: the authentic version with eggplant
Baked Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs eggplant, 2 large/3 medium/4 small, cut into 1/3″ thick rounds
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, or Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more to grease the pan and drizzle over eggplant*
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 32 oz good quality marinara sauce, homemade or storebought
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped, (optional, but nice)
- 1 lb shredded mozzarella, grated on the large holes
Instructions
How to Bake Eggplant for Eggplant Parm:
- Preheat Oven to 375˚F. Generously grease 2 baking sheets with olive oil. Set up 3 rimmed dishes in this order: In the first one, stir together 3/4 cup flour, 2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. In the second, beat 3 large eggs. In the third combine 1 cup bread crumbs and 1 cup grated parmesan. Dip eggplant slices in flour, then beaten eggs, then in the panko/parm mixture.
- Place breaded eggplant onto greased baking sheets and sprinkle the tops lightly with salt. Drizzle tops with olive oil or spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake at 375˚F for 30-35 min, flipping the eggplant halfway and rotating the pans if using 2 baking sheets. Once done baking, remove from the oven.
How to Elevate Storebought Marinara:
- If using homemade Marinara, you can skip this step, but here's how to make a storebought marinara even better: Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp olive oil. Once oil is hot, add garlic and stir 1 min until fragrant. Add marinara sauce and bring to a simmer. Add coarsely chopped basil, stir for 30 seconds and remove from heat.
To Assemble Eggplant Parmesan:
- Spread 1/4 cup marinara sauce over the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish. Add 1/2 eggplant slices, overlapping if needed to fit, then top with half of your marinara sauce and half of the mozzarella. Repeat with the remaining eggplant slices, marinara and mozzarella. Bake uncovered at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly golden.
Notes
*You can grease the pan and the tops of the eggplant with cooking spray instead of olive oil if you prefer. It’s quicker and you’ll get a more even coating on the bread crumbs.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Natasha would you not salt the eggplant first to drain some water out?
Hi James, they haven’t turned watery on us, but if you happen to try it by letting them sit and release water first, I would love to know how you like this recipe.
I cook for my husbands boss and the office 12 people , I decided to make this recipe . I’m so amazed how it cut my time so much . Thank you, this is my forever recipe!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Bonnie!
if you want non-bitter eggplant, get ichiban eggplant. recognized by long length (6″ – 10″) and small in diameter (2″ – 3″). not bitter naturally and there’s no need to peel. not found in stores very much, but does well in a home garden. many eggplants from a couple bushes. enjoy many of your recipes and like to watch your blogs.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Dear Natasha, I am new to your page. I have enjoyed all your recipes. Your personality is wonderful. You make cooking fun. I am of Spanish decent, I put Goya Adobo on all food that requires salt, pepper. Do you ever make Spanish dishes like Paella? Thank you…..
I’m so happy you discovered our blog. Welcome! 🙂 We like to make and post various recipes, and we especially love suggestions from our readers! Adding paella to our list! Thank you!
Nice recipe! I do not flour or dredge my eggplant and it comes out just as tasty!
Good to know that Teresa, thanks for sharing!
I believe you are supposed to salt the eggplant and let it ‘sweat.’ At least that’s what my Italian fam does- always the best!
Hi Mel, they haven’t turned watery on us, but if you happen to try it by letting them sit and release water first, I would love to know how you like this recipe.
Made last night and actually made a few hours in advance. Put it in fridge until I was ready to bake and it turned out great! Didn’t change a thing on this recipe and it was fabulous!
Love it! Great to know that you enjoyed this recipe, thank you for your good review, Tina!
Made this for dinner tonight, it was a hit! Everyone really liked it. Thank you Natasha! Your recipe was easy and delicious! The only thing I would change next time is I would use the full 32oz bottle of marinara. I only had a 32oz bottle but only used 24oz; I think this would have been better with just that extra titch of marina, but your recipie is fantastic! I will make this again!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you all enjoyed it!
Loved this. My kids wanted to eat the baked eggplant slices before I even assembled it! What is the best way to reheat it next day?
This reheats well, you can reheat portions in the microwave or oven until they are heated through and cheese is melted.
Sooooo delicious! I’ve been making Eggplant Parmesan for years- I’ve finally found THE recipe that will be the only one I use in the future!
Awesome! I’m glad this is going to be your go-to-recipe.
Does it turn out watery? Usually I salt them and let them sweat on paper towels when I make eggplant lasagna.. just wondering if it turns out watery..
Hi Wendy, it was not watery for us. I recommend taking all the steps in the recipe.
Hey Natasha.I have read before that you should use course salt and put some weight on the eggplant slices to help remove some of the bitter juice.This seems like a lot of extra work.Is it necessary?Thanks.John Jarret.
Hi John, we don’t think it is necessary for this recipe but a couple of readers did write saying that is how their family made this. If you do try it with the salt I would love to know how you like this recipe!
This was perfect!
Thank you!
I’ve made many of Natasha’s recipes since I discovered her a few years ago but I have to say, this eggplant parm might be my favorite to date. The oven baked eggplant slices came out nice and crispy (not soggy and grease laden like when frying) and the finished dish was deliciously firm and structured, not mushy. I used my homemade marinara (very similar to Natasha’s recipe), fresh buffalo mozzarella and a shredded Romano/mozzarella blend and it’s truly delish. Can’t wait to make eggplant subs for lunch tomorrow! PS I’m a vegetarian – thanks for the delish veg recipe!
You are most welcome, Sue. That is such awesome feedback, thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi First if all, thank you for sharing your delicious recipes.
Eggplant. My Italian nana taught me to look for male eggplants because the female eggplants have more seeds and therefore more bitter. She also sliced them and layered the slices in a colander salted lightly for about 45 minutes or so which also gets that brown juice out yielding less bitter tase.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me Judi! I’m happy you enjoyed this recipe!
I’ve tried eggplant Parmesan several times before but it never turned out right. This recipe is perfect! I used gluten free flour and gluten free Panko style bread crumbs, and they were fine substitutes. I’ll be making this again. Thanks, Natasha!
Fantastic! So great to hear that your substitutes worked great too. Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Karen!
This was the BEST eggplant parm I’ve made/tasted. My fiancé loved it so much, and it was very filling.
Natasha, am I able to make it in advance and freeze for later? If so, what are your suggestions on how to prepare it?
Hi Charmaine, I haven’t tested freezing this. I worry it will become soggy upon the defrost stage. If you experiment please let me know how you like that.
Thank you Natasha for your awesome Eggplant Parmesan Recipe! Being an “old school” Italian cook, I use to make mine the old fashioned way, which was frying it! Even though I salted and removed the liquid, it still soaked up a lot of oil. This version is so much healthier… and just as tasty.
Thank you for sharing that awesome review with me, Carol! I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
My family hates everything new. I have never cooked with eggplant before, always wanted to try it. All 3 boys and even my picky eater husband all LOVED it. No leftovers is a good night!
I know exactly what you mean! I’m so glad your family enjoyed this recipe!
I have made this and it was wonderful!!!
I do have one question – I’m trying to make this ahead and wonder if it will work to bake the eggplants but not assemble it all together until hours/ next day and finish cooking then? Or will the eggplants be too soggy?
Hi Mags, that should work fine.