This easy Baked Eggplant Parmesan is a lightened-up version of the original fried Italian casserole, and is perfect for both weeknight dinners and Date Night!
There’s a little Italian restaurant close to where the husband’s parents live, and every single time we go, the server hears something like this:
“I’ll have the Eggplant Parmesan without the pasta.”
“I’ll have the Eggplant Parmesan with penne.”
“I’ll have the Eggplant Parmesan but I’m sharing with him.”
We are predictable people.
As tasty as this fried veggie concoction is, when I make it at home, I try to make it healthier. This Baked Eggplant Parmesan has less grease, and lets the eggplant shine through.
Do I Really Have to Peel the Eggplant?
No, but the skin will toughen while you bake it. So, if you don’t peel your eggplant, there’s a decent chance that you’ll need a knife to cut through it when you’re eating.
This might not be a big deal, but it also seems to toughen even more if you’re reheating leftover Eggplant Parmesan. So, if you– like me– tend to bring leftovers to work for lunch, and also regularly forget to pack a table knife, you could find yourself wishing you’d peeled that eggplant.
You have been warned.
How Do You Sweat the Eggplant? Can I Skip That Part?
As hilarious as it would be, sweating an eggplant doesn’t involve making the vegetables run around the park, or even cranking the heat up in your house. Instead, you sprinkle salt on your sliced eggplant, set the slices in a colander with a towel over the top, and walk away.
I highly, highly recommend sweating the eggplant. Since you’ll be baking the eggplant, you want to get as much moisture out as possible to make sure they crisp up in the oven.
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- Sweating the Eggplant
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- Baked Eggplant
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- Eggplant Parmesan Ready to Bake
How to Make Baked Eggplant Parmesan
To make this baked Eggplant Parmesan, dip the (pre-sweated) eggplant slices in a beaten egg, and then into a breadcrumb and Parmesan cheese mixture. Toast the slices until the breadcrumbs are golden and the eggplant has cooked through.
(I like to “taste test” one of the eggplant slices at this point, just to make sure they’re crispy enough.)
Next, layer some pasta sauce in a baking dish, then add a layer of eggplant, then a layer of cheese, then eggplant, and finish with a final layer of pasta sauce and freshly grated Parmesan. Bake the casserole for about 20 minutes, and then serve it with pasta, bread, or a green salad.
Want more VEGETARIAN DATE NIGHT ideas? Try these:
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Baked Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant, peeled + thinly sliced
- 3 tsp salt, divided
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (or more if needed)
- 4 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 green onions, diced
- 2 cups tomato sauce (1/2 28oz pasta sauce jar)
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta OR whole milk (4%) small-curd cottage cheese
Instructions
Sweating the Eggplant:
- Lightly salt both sides of eggplant slices with about 2 tsp of salt, and layer slices in a colander. Set colander in the sink, and cover with a towel. Let sit for at least an hour, or up to three hours.
- Pat the eggplant dry.
Baking the Eggplant:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil. (If using foil, spray or brush the foil with olive oil.)
- Add half the Parmesan cheese, all of the breadcrumbs, and the remaining 1 tsp salt to a bowl, and stir to combine. The beaten egg should be in a different bowl, right next to the breadcrumb mixture.
- One at a time, dip eggplant slices in egg and then in breadcrumbs, coating both sides.
Note: If you have trouble getting the breadcrumbs to stick, simply dip the eggplant in egg and then sprinkle the crumbs on top. Skip flipping the eggplant. (This may happen if your eggplant slices are still moist, especially with homemade breadcrumbs or larger Panko breadcrumbs.) - Set eggplant in single layer on baking sheets, and bake 5-7 minutes, flip, and bake 5-7 more minutes (10-14 minutes total).
Note: The cook time will depend on how thinly you've sliced the eggplant. Watch the eggplant the last few minutes in the oven, and remove when they appear golden and crisp. - While eggplant is baking, pour half the tomato sauce in a 8"x8" pan (or small casserole dish). Sprinkle half the green onion over the mixture.
- When eggplant is finished baking, layer half of the eggplant on top of the sauce.
- Next, spread the ricotta over the eggplant into one layer. Top the ricotta with the remaining eggplant.
- Add remaining tomato sauce, and top with remaining Parmesan.
- Bake uncovered 20-25 minutes, until the cheese have melted and the eggplant is totally cooked through.
- Before serving, top with the remaining green onion.
- Serve hot along with pasta, crusty bread, or a green salad.
Recipe Notes
- Make it more traditional: Use 4 oz freshly grated mozzarella instead of ricotta.
- Add more veggies: Dice half an onion and half a sweet bell pepper, and add them to the first tomato sauce layer.
- Add more cheese: This recipe is a lighter Eggplant Parmesan, and uses a little less cheese than you might sometimes find in the dish. Feel free to add more.
Nutrition Information
Eggplant baking technique adapted from: All Recipes
Baked eggplant parmesan sounds so much more appetizing! Every time I’ve had the standard fried version I’m left feeling pretty awful afterwards. Looks delicious!
Me too!! It’s just too heavy and greasy. Plus, I always manage to burn myself frying the eggplant haha
I laughed out loud at the thought of making eggplant run laps to get it good and sweaty. 🙂 This eggplant parm looks delicious!
I love baked eggplant. My husband is not a fan but if I dress it up in sauce and cheese he will eat it on occasion. Going to try your version and try and convert him – yet again.
I hope he likes it!!
I really like eggplant parmesan, so I made this a while back, and yum! It was really good. The only thing I need to pay more attention to is sweating the eggplant, as I don’t think I got enough of the water out of it. But anyway, good recipe, and its always nice to have a baked alternative to a fried dish!
Glad you liked! Yup you definitely have to sweat the eggplant really well to bake it.
That’s great to know about the skin toughening, I didn’t know that. This looks amazing, I’m going to have to print this for later, or at least save it, hubby loves Italian food, basically anything with pasta and sauce. What a treat for him, he will be pleased. Thanks for sharing this!
My love of eggplant has really grown over the years…top it with a bunch o cheese and bake it and then it really becomes something special! Looks delish Sarah!
Eggplant is something that I’ve had to “grow into” liking. My Mom made it all the time when we were kids and it was always mushy (aka: gross), so as an adult, I’ve only ventured into this arena with baby steps. — crisping it up in that dredge goes a long way to making it palatable for me, but then you cover it in sauce and cheese??? I’m IN! Pass the plate!
This dish looks so delicious and much lighter than the original version which is a huge plus. Great tip on the toughening of the skin. I laughed so hard at your eggplant running around the park comment!
If you ever see the eggplant running in circles, video it. Lol
Eggplant parm is hands down one of my most favorite dishes ever. It’s also the only way my husband will eat eggplant! I just starting going the baking route last year to avoid all that grease and I was surprised at how well it turns out. And yes, eggplant parm makes for ah-mazing leftovers—whether on its own or stuffed into a sandwich! 🙂
Stuffing leftovers into a sandwich is a great idea!
Ok, this is funny. I just imagined a little group of eggplants running around… Chinese eggplants are long and skinny, so they’ve obviously been exercising regularly for a long time and Italian eggplants still need to get in shape… obviously…
The recipe sounds amazing. I love that the eggplants are not fried and I love the extra crunch of the breadcrumbs. Hmm… Maybe i’ll try making it and saying that it’s mushroom at the bottom for my husband. He notoriously doesn’t like the idea of eggplants.
Yes- those Italian eggplants need to GET IN SHAPE! LOL. And I bet he’d like this anyway!! 😀
What a great meal for date night indeed! And thank you for that tip about peeling the eggplant – I always forget until then I need a knife to cut into it!
Yup – I never remember to pack a knife! Peeling makes my life easier!
I love this baked version of eggplant parm! Eggplant can soak up so much oil when its fried and can go from delightful to greasy FAST. Making it this way, I can have eggplant parmesan more often and not feel guilty about it. My jeans especially thank you. 🙂
Thanks Amanda! I agree- I just can’t handle all the grease in the fried kind. My jeans thank me too 😛
I love eggplant parmesan. I would totally double this recipe so there are plenty of leftovers and then use them to make an eggplant parmesan stromboli later in the week! It’s so delicious! Cannot wait to try this healthier baked version of this classic dish!