Simple Eggplant Parmesan

Baked Eggplant Parmesan is classic Italian comfort food! This delicious dinner is sure to be a favorite.

You’ll find bubbly cheese and garlicky tomato sauce in this Eggplant parmesan. It’s a classic vegetarian Italian dish that is filling and hearty. While most restaurants will fry eggplants, it is much easier to make your own. This is our favorite baked Eggplant Parmesan recipe. It’s faster than other recipes, and has a lot of amazing flavor. Even the vegetable-averse 5-year old asked for more! It will be a family favorite, just like ours.

This Eggplant Parmesan recipe contains the following ingredients

The classic Italian dish Eggplant Parmesan is made from layers of eggplant breaded, cheese and tomato sauce. It’s then baked to perfection. It is also known as Parmigiana di Melanzane, but it can be found all around the globe. Although the eggplant can be fried in a restaurant, it is easier to bake it at home. This is what you will need to make homemade eggplant Parmesan.

Eggplant
Flour or almond flour for those who are gluten-free
Eggs
Grated Parmesan cheese
Panko (or breadcrumbs)
Dry oregano
Crushed tomatoes
Garlic
Fresh basil
Olive Oil
Whole milk, shredded mozzarella cheese

A few ingredient notes

The quality of the ingredients is key to the success or failure of Eggplant Parmesan. These are the things to watch out for while shopping

Look for medium eggplants. It’s important to consider the size of your eggplants. Larger rounds won’t make the dish look as good. Sometimes, however, the supermarket only has large eggplants so make sure you get what you need! It is important to use 2 pounds. This should be enough for 18-20 rounds.
Fire roasted tomatoes are the best. The best taste comes from fire roasted tomatoes: the sweet, smoky flavor is right out the can. You can substitute the best quality tomatoes for them with 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika and 1 teaspoon sugar. Or, use 1 1/2 cups best quality marinara sauce.
Whole milk mozzarella cheese makes a difference. It is much easier to melt than half-skim and it has a deeper flavor. Reheating it makes the product melt faster.

Here are some tips on how to make Eggplant Parmesan.

Although this baked Eggplant Parmesan recipe takes less time than many others, it is still easy to prepare and take about an hour to bake. This is a key point to remember when meal planning (and see the tips below for making ahead). These are some notes on the process.

Salt the eggplants for 10 minutes. Before baking, season the eggplant with salt. Salting eggplants for at least an hour is a requirement in many recipes. However, this is unnecessary. This was done in the past to get rid of bitter flavors, however, today’s eggplants have been bred to be more bitter. This allows eggplants to release water, although it is not necessary with this baking method.
Dip the eggplant into flour, eggs and breadcrumbs. This traditional Italian combination is used to fry the eggplant. It works equally well for baking.
Bake the eggplant at 425°F for 20 minutes, turning once. They become crispy and golden brown in the hot oven. It’s like frying, but without extra oil.
Make the tomato sauce while you wait. Combine crushed tomatoes with garlic and fresh basil. Add olive oil.
In a casserole dish, layer the eggplant and tomato sauce with mozzarella cheese. Bake the eggplant for about 15 minutes, or until cheese becomes bubbly.

Tips for making ahead and storage

The Eggplant Parmesan recipe is easy to prepare and takes only about an hour. This makes it a great weeknight meal. This recipe is great for entertaining and can be prepared ahead of time. You can freeze this recipe, making it great for quick leftovers. These are some ideas to make ahead or store the recipe:

You can bake the slices of eggplant ahead. The recipe will take 40 minutes less. The slices can be refrigerated, and then you can layer it on top of the casserole. Bake the next day.
You can keep leftovers refrigerated up to three days. Although you can prepare the whole dish ahead of time and freeze it, we prefer to bake the bread fresh each day. You can store leftovers well.
You can freeze leftovers for as long as 3 months in a sealed container. You can either place the leftovers on the counter, in the fridge to thaw or put them directly into an oven at 375 degrees. Once the cheese has melted and warmed through, reheat the dish until it is warm and bubbly. If it is still room temperature you can heat the cheese at 425 degrees.

How to prepare Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant Parmesan was traditionally served with pasta. You can serve it with vegetables, salads and other foods. This makes for a delicious, hearty vegetarian meal that will please everyone. It’s perfect for entertaining and impressing guests. These are just a few of the ideas.

Easy Angel Hair Pasta
Favourite Chop Salad
Kale Caesar Salad
Green Beans Almondine and Garlic Green Beans
Sauteed Broccolini
Sauteed Mixed Vegetables
Sauteed Rainbow Chard
Sauteed Kale or Sauteed Spinach

More eggplant recipes

Do you love working with this delicious vegetable? These are just a few of the many eggplant recipes that you will love.

Eggplant meatballs are the best ever
Perfect Roasted Eggplant
Eggplant Caponata is an option
Baked Eggplant Pasta

Best Eggplant Meatballs

Perfectly Roasted Eggplant

Caponata Eggplant

Pasta with Roasted Eggplant

Baked Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

Vegetarian. Gluten-free options include almond flour, gluten-free breadcrumbs and Gluten-Free Eggplant Parmesan.

Author: Sonja Overhiser
Prep time:

25 minutes
Time to Cook:

35 minutes
Total time:

1 hour
Yield:

6 to 8 1x

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Description

Baked Eggplant Parmesan is classic Italian comfort food! This delicious dinner is sure to be a favorite.

Ingredients

Scale

2 pounds eggplant (about 2 medium large)
3/4 cup flour*
3 eggs
1 Cup 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese. Divide
1 Cup Plain Panko or purchased breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon dry oregano. Divided
3/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt, Divided
28 ounces fire roasted crushed tomatoes*
3 Garlic cloves, grated
One bunch of fresh basil chopped and added to garnish
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 Cups 8 ounces) Shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese***

Instructions

Preheat the oven at 425° Fahrenheit Two baking sheets should be lined with parchment paper.
To make 18 slices, cut the ends off of the eggplant. Let them sit covered with 1/4 teaspoon salt for 10 minutes before you start to prepare your breading ingredients.
Put the flour onto a plate. Mix the eggs together in a small bowl. Set it aside. Combine the Parmesan cheese with breadcrumbs and 2 teaspoons of oregano in a shallow bowl.
Dip each slice of eggplant in the flour on both ends. Next, dip the egg whites into the flour. Finally, dip the slices in the Parmesan cheese mixture. Each slice should be placed on the baking sheets. Note: You may have to clean your hands after each slice. )
Bake the tray in the oven for 10 minutes. Turn the tray over and continue baking until they are tender and brown.
Make the sauce while you wait. In a large bowl combine the olive oil, fire-roasted tomatoes, grated garlic and 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano. Blend until the olive oil has been fully incorporated.
Take the eggplant out of the oven. In a 9×13” baking pan, spread 1 cup tomato sauce. Layer half of the oven-baked eggplant (roughly 9 slices) in one layer. Next, top it with 1 cup tomato sauce. Finally, add 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1 cup tomato sauce. To make nine stacks, add the second layer of eggplant. We like to place them on top of each other. Each stack should be topped with 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. Finish off with 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake the cheese for about 15 minutes, or until it is golden brown and has melted. Let cool, then garnish with more chopped basil. Remaining food can be kept in the refrigerator for as long as 3 days or frozen for three months. Once they are cool, heat them up in an oven.

Notifications

You’ll need about 1/3 cup of flour and 1 egg to make bread. You may also have some panko leftover. These foods are not listed in the nutrition information.

Flavorful fire roasted tomatoes are the best: They taste delicious right from the can. You can substitute the best quality tomatoes for them with 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika and 1 teaspoon sugar. Or, use 1 1/2 cups best quality marinara sauce.

Whole milk mozzarella cheese is more melty than half-skim mozzarella and also has a deeper flavor. Refrozen leftovers melt faster with whole milk mozzarella cheese.

Category:

Main Dish
Method:

Baking
Cuisine:

Italian Inspired
Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords : Eggplant Parmesan Recipe, Eggplant Parmesan Baked Eggplant Parmesan Recipe, Eggplant Parmesan Baked Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

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