Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Name: Baked Eggplant Parmesan
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 1 large eggplant ((sliced in thin pieces)); 2 eggs; .50 cup Italian breadcrumbs; .50 cup Panko breadcrumbs; 1/4 cup parmesan cheese; 1 teaspoon dried basil; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 3 cups spaghetti sauce ((homemade or bottled)); 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese ((or more), shredded); 1/2 cup parmesan cheese; 6 slices mozzarella ((round)); olive oil for drizzling; 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley ((to sprinkle on the last layer))

ByElaine Posted onSeptember 1, 2022September 1, 2022

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This baked eggplant parmesan recipe is a lightened-up version of the classic eggplant parmesan for a comforting dish you can feel good about. Perfectly cooked eggplant, flavorful tomato sauce, and extra gooey cheese come together for an instant hit!

Almost vertical view of the baked eggplant on a white plate with asparagus and roll

My family L O V E S eggplant parmesan. My younger sister loved it so much growing up that my mother made a special little pan of it, just for her. She was in seventh heaven when she ate her pan of eggplant parm!

What makes this baked eggplant parmesan stand out? The fact that you don’t fry the eggplant. You coat the eggplant slices in an egg-and-bread crumb mixture, dribble some oil on it and bake it to a crispy goodness. Less mess and fewer calories are a double win in my kitchen!

Helpful tips

I have written before about my experiments to salt and not salt eggplant during prep and I’m here to tell you that to save time AND have your eggplant come out just as scrumptious, don’t salt it. There, I’ve saved you a bunch of time.
Use bottled spaghetti or marinara sauce to layer this eggplant parmesan if it’s more convenient, but the flavor of homemade usually tastes much better.
I use both shredded mozzarella and a ball of fresh mozzarella that I can slice in this dish. If you have to skip one of them, skip the round version, but try to get the freshest mozzarella you can buy.
A reader asked if the eggplant can be frozen before building the layers and the answer is yes. I place them in a single layer with parchment paper between each layer. When you’re ready to build the eggplant parm, you can take the eggplant out of the freezer and make the recipe according to the directions. You may have to add 5 – 10 minutes to the cooking time, but 5 minutes is usually enough for me.
IF you have any leftovers, store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

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How to make no fry eggplant parmesan

Step one

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Take out 2 jelly roll pans and line them with parchment paper. (Side note: Have you tried this pre-cut parchment paper? Game changer!)

Step two

Gather the ingredients – eggplant, freshly grated parmesan cheese, eggs, and bread crumbs. (A)

Step three

Place bread crumbs (two types), parmesan cheese, herbs, garlic powder, and salt in a shallow dish. Also crack two large eggs in another shallow dish and whisk them until they are combined and slice a large eggplant in thin slices. (B)

On left - eggplant, egg, cheese and bread crumbs. On right - breadcrumbs in a bowl with egg in a bowl and sliced eggplant

Step four

Combine the bread crumb mixture together with either a whisk or fork.

Step five

Dip each eggplant round in the whisked egg first, then place it in the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides. Place the coated eggplant on the jelly roll pans. (C)

Step six

Dribble a small amount of olive oil over each eggplant round and bake for 20 minutes on one side, then flip the eggplant rounds and bake for 10 more minutes. Once the eggplant is done, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step seven

Spoon some sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 9 pan so the eggplant doesn’t stick. (D)

On the left - breaded eggplant on jelly roll pans. On the right - sauce in the pan

Layering

Step eight

Place baked eggplant rounds in the pan. (E)

Step nine

Spoon some sauce over the eggplant and pile on shredded mozzarella and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. (F)

On the left - Baked eggplant on the red sauce and on the right, sauce and cheese on top

Step ten

Place more rounds of eggplant on the cheese, make sure to press the rounds into the cheese to lower the height of the dish. (G)

Step eleven

Top the eggplant with more sauce, mozzarella cheese and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. (H)

On the left - more eggplant on top. And the right - more sauce and cheese on top

Step twelve

Place the rest of the eggplant on top, add sauce, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan. Slice a few slices of the ball mozzarella and place them on top of the eggplant parmesan. Just to give it color, I sprinkle on dried parsley.

Sliced mozzarella and herbs on the eggplant parm

Step thirteen

Place the pan in the 350 degree oven and bake uncovered for 35 – 40 minutes. Mine took 38 minutes. The sauce should be bubbling and the cheese melted.

A pan of eggplant parmesan with parsley on top

All that is left is to cut it and serve it, so I cut a piece of the baked eggplant parmesan.

A spatula holding eggplant parm held over a plate with the pan in the back

Let’s see it plated.

Close up view of a square of layered parm on a plate with asparagus and roll

Soooo good.

A piece of eggplant parm on a white plate with asparagus and a roll

And how about a bite of the healthy eggplant parmesan?

A fork with eggplant on it held over the plate of the meal

I hope you enjoyed this baked eggplant parmesan recipe. It is both delicious and easy to make.

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And as always, may all your dishes be delish!

If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love the know what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!