Baked Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

Simple Eggplant Parmesan in a casserole dish shown from the top view.

Baked Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

This Baked Eggplant Parmesan is a classic Italian dish layered with crispy baked eggplant slices, rich and tangy tomato basil sauce, and lots of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Serve it as a crowd-pleasing dinner party recipe or for a family-friendly weeknight meal, or make it in advance as part of your weekly meal prep.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American/Italian

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 30

Servings

Calories 467kcal

Author Aysegul Sanford

Ingredients

For the Baked Eggplant:

2 medium-sized globe eggplant rinsed and dried ~1 pound each*
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
¾ cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon black pepper

For the Eggplant Parmesan:

2 cups Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce or store-bought marinara sauce
1 lb mozzarella cheese shredded - approximately 4 cups
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese plus more for serving
¼ cup fresh basil leaves roughly chopped
1 teaspoon fresh oregano roughly chopped - optional
Pinch of red pepper flakes optional

Instructions

Prep your equipment: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set them aside.
Cut the eggplant: Slice eggplant into ½-inch thick slices. Set them aside.
Set up your dredging station: Place two shallow dishes side by side. Crack and whisk eggs in the first one. Mix panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and black pepper in the second one.
Prep the eggplant: Dip each eggplant slice in eggs (letting the excess drip off) and then into the panko mixture, making sure that it is coated on all sides. You may have to gently push it down to ensure that the slices are fully coated.
Transfer to the baking sheet: Transfer onto the parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices. Lightly spray them with cooking spray.
Bake: Bake for 15 minutes; flip each eggplant round and rotate baking sheets, and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned on top and soft to the touch.
Cool: Set it aside to cool for 5-8 minutes. Do not turn the oven off.
Assemble the eggplant parmesan: In a large casserole dish (I used a 9x13 inch baking dish), spread ½ cup tomato sauce at the bottom. Arrange baked crispy eggplant slices on top in an even layer. Spread it with 1 cup of tomato sauce, half of the shredded mozzarella cheese, half of the parmesan cheese, and half of the fresh basil.
Add additional layers: Add another layer of baked eggplant and spread it with the remaining tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese.
Bake: Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese has fully melted and the top has turned lightly golden brown.
Cool, garnish, and serve: Let it cool on a wire rack. Garnish it with fresh oregano and the remaining basil. If desired, sprinkle with a pinch of red pepper flakes and more parmesan cheese when serving.

Video

Notes

Sweating eggplants: If I am buying eggplants from a local grocery store I do not sweat/salt eggplants. The globe eggplants that are widely available in the US markets have their bitterness bred out thanks to modern farming techniques. With that being said, it does not hurt to salt them. I wrote a whole article on when and how to salt eggplants if you want to learn more. If you end up salting your eggplant slices, be sure to dry each slice with a few sheets of paper towels before breading.
Amount of egg and panko mixture used: Depending on the size of your eggplants, you may have to use a bit more (or less) egg and panko mixture for coating the eggplant slices.
Taste for seasoning before serving: We intentionally left out salt from the recipe as we use parmesan cheese and tomato sauce that is already salted. However, it is best to give it a taste and adjust the seasoning according to your taste buds.
Make ahead: To make ahead, you have two options. The first one is to bake the dish the day before you want to serve it, let it cool, and cover it with aluminum foil. Then, store it in the fridge until ready to reheat. Alternatively, you can assemble the recipe the day before, cover it, and remove it from the fridge one hour before baking.
Store: First, let your leftovers come to room temperature. Then, either cover the leftovers tightly with plastic wrap or transfer them to an airtight container (you can store them as a whole or in individual portions). Your eggplant parmesan can stay in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat: To reheat, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and cook the dish for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
Freeze: To freeze, assemble the casserole, but don’t bake it. Wrap the dish tightly with aluminum foil and freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw the eggplant parmesan completely when ready to eat, then bake as usual.

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