This baked eggplant Parmesan recipe will become one of your family favorites! Crispy eggplant is layered with herbs, tomato sauce, and cheese.
Growing up, my mom’s eggplant Parmesan recipe was one of my favorite things to eat. My family ate dinner together every night, and my mom always cooked it from scratch. Tomato sauce never came from a jar, and cheese was never pre-shredded because convenience foods like that were simply not worth the extra expense. Dinnertime was a sound routine for all of us… unless it was summer.
Then, my sister and I had more important matters at hand. We had to keep lookout for the ice cream man, hold swing set jumping contests, and run relays in our jelly shoes. When my mom called us in for dinner, we rushed in and ate as fast as we could so that we could get back outside to play. Food was fine, but play was life. That is, unless the meal she was cooking was eggplant Parmesan. The amazing waft of saucy, cheesy goodness coming out of the oven was something to really get excited about… even if it meant coming in and savoring it for a few extra minutes before heading back out to play.
My Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
When Sub Zero, Wolf, and Cove asked me what living deliciously means to me, my mom’s eggplant Parmesan and those warm summer family memories immediately came to mind. Because eggplant’s in peak season, I thought it was the perfect time to develop an eggplant Parmesan recipe of my own. It’s a delicious, lighter ode to my mom’s classic recipe.
Just like my mom, I make my own marinara sauce by simmering crushed tomatoes over my Wolf cooktop for about 20 minutes. Then, for fresh, herbaceous flavor, I add generous pinches of oregano and thyme to the eggplant’s Parmesan and panko coating. Instead of frying the breaded eggplant slices, I bake them until nicely crisp and golden brown. Finally, I layer them with the homemade marinara sauce and slices of fresh mozzarella. And of course, I can’t resist topping the whole thing with big leaves of basil from our garden once it’s out of the oven!
How to Make Eggplant Parmesan
Ready to make eggplant parm? Here’s what you need to do:
- Bread the eggplant. Mix together the herb, Parmesan, and panko coating in one shallow bowl, and whisk 2 eggs with a dash of almond milk in another. Dip each eggplant slice into the egg mixture before tossing it in the panko. Make sure the eggplant is well-coated on all sides!
- Bake the eggplant. Arrange the breaded eggplant slices in a single layer on 2 parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 400° until tender and golden brown. If you have a convection setting on your oven, I highly recommend using it here. When I use convection bake on our Wolf oven, the panko gets deliciously browned and crisp. I don’t miss the traditional fried eggplant at all!
- Layer it up! Spread some tomato sauce in the bottom of a large casserole dish. Add a layer of eggplant slices, more marinara, and half the sliced mozzarella. Repeat the layers, finishing it off with any remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
- Bake! Bake at 400° for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is starting to bubble. Then, turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes, so the cheese starts to brown in places.
- Garnish and serve. Let the hot eggplant Parmesan rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving. Then, top it with fresh basil leaves and dig in!
Baked Eggplant Parmesan Recipe Tips
- Slice the eggplant as evenly as you can. Even slices mean even cooking, so try to cut your eggplant slices to a consistent width. You don’t want some pieces to overcook before others get tender! The same goes for the fresh mozzarella – cut it to a consistent thickness to get even melting and browning.
- Freshly grate the Parmesan cheese. Your eggplant Parmesan will have more flavor if you get a nice chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano (or even pecorino cheese) and grate it yourself.
- Get a nice, thick panko coating on the eggplant slices. In this recipe, some of the best texture and flavor come from the mix of panko, Parmesan, herbs, and red pepper flakes, so don’t skimp on that yummy crispy coating!
- Don’t forget the olive oil! Make sure to drizzle the breaded eggplant slices with oil before they go in the oven. It’s essential for getting the panko nicely golden brown and crisp.
- Season between the layers. The overall seasoning of your eggplant Parmesan will depend on what marinara and Parmesan cheese you use. With my homemade marinara sauce, I like to add a sprinkle of salt and a few grinds of pepper between the layers of eggplant and cheese so that the final dish comes out well-seasoned.
Serving Suggestions
This eggplant Parmesan recipe is hearty enough to be a meal on its own, but if you’re looking for something to go with it, you can’t go wrong with pasta (or spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles!) or good crusty bread. When I make it for friends or family, I also like to pair it with a simple veggie side dish like roasted broccoli, cauliflower, or tomatoes, grilled zucchini, or any of these salad recipes:
- Panzanella Salad
- Classic Caprese Salad
- Burrata with Heirloom Tomatoes
- Cherry Tomato Couscous Salad
- Italian Chopped Salad
- Caesar Salad
For more salad ideas, check out this post!
More Favorite Dinner Recipes
If you love this baked eggplant Parmesan recipe, try one of these delicious dinner recipes next:
- Best Vegetarian Lasagna
- Easy Baked Ziti
- Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Crispy Zucchini Casserole
- Stuffed Peppers
- Ratatouille
- Or any of these 50 Easy Dinner Ideas!
Love eggplant? Find more of my favorite eggplant recipes here.
Eggplant Parmesan
Equipment
- 9x13-Inch Baking Dish (This Stuab one is so pretty for serving)
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants, cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- ¼ cup almond milk
- 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1¼ cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 28 ounces Marinara Sauce
- 2 large fresh mozzarella balls, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized shallow dish, whisk the eggs and almond milk.
- In another medium-sized shallow dish, combine the panko, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, and several grinds of pepper.
- Dip the eggplant slices into the egg mixture and then into the panko mixture. Place onto the baking sheets, drizzle with olive oil, and bake for 18 minutes or until tender and golden brown.
- In an 8x12 or 9x13-inch baking dish, spread ½ cup marinara, layer half the eggplant, and top with 1 cup of marinara and half the mozzarella. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, the remaining marinara, and the remaining mozzarella. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with a few more pinches of sea salt. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is nicely melted. Turn the oven to broil and broil for 2 to 4 or until the cheese is browned and bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and top with fresh basil.
Special thanks to Sub Zero, Wolf, and Cove for partnering on this post!
What is the nutritional facts on this I just wanna know cause it’s so good and I’ll definitely eat a lot more if I can ?
Hi Sage, unfortunately we don’t calculate nutrition facts for our recipes, but you could use an online nutrition calculator to get an estimate.
Hello. If planning to freeze before eating (to have as a pre-made meal for later) do you have any tips or recommendations? Or can I just make per your recipe then freeze?
Hi Kaylyn, assemble it and freeze it before baking it. Then let it thaw overnight in the fridge before baking it. You might have to bake it for slightly longer than the recipe calls for since it’ll be starting out cold. Hope that helps!
As a long haul truck driver I am always looking for easy-freeze meals I can take on the road with me. This eggplant parm was almost as good as nonna used to make. I don’t think that is the recipe’s fault though, nonna was just something else in the kitchen! Defs a change from the normal carb-heavy lasagna I make in bulk! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Mike, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Just finished eating and it was absolutely delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so glad you loved it, Beth!
We just ate it for dinner and it was awesome. I am exercising and trying to eat healthier, so I love these dishes that don’t have a crazy amount of carbs or fat and I don’t feel like I’m starving myself. I will absolutely be making this again! I couldn’t find nutritional facts, or did I just miss that? Thanks!
Hi Sandra, I’m so glad you loved the recipe! We don’t calculate nutrition facts for our recipes unfortunately, but you could use an online nutrition calculator to get an estimate.
Really lovely recipe. We made this after finding some delicious eggplants at our grocery store. Highly recommend this recipe!
Delicious. I did not have mozzarella so substituted with grated cheddar. Even my husband who hates eggplant, unless its in a dip, loved it.
Definitely will make again. Super easy to make too ? ❤️
LiLi
Hi Lili, I’m so glad it was a hit!
My husband and I loved this recipe, just finished dinner and it was delicious! I will definitely come back to the website and remake it.
Hi Florina, I’m so glad it was a hit!
I didn’t realize how much I would love Eggplant Parmesan, but this recipe is a keeper. I have made it weekly for 3 weeks! My daughter and I love it! I do one thing in addition. I salt the eggplant and let it sweat out extra moisture. Not sure if that’s needed, but someone told me to do that once. Thanks for a delicious addition to our weekly rotation.
Hi Martha, I’m so glad you’re loving the recipe!
Best Eggplant Parm ever! So easy, love skipping the salt/drain step and frying found in traditional recipes. The panko puffs up and makes this dish so satisfying. I used less cheese and jarred arrabiata sauce. I baked the rounds after dinner, refrigerated overnight, then assembled , baked the next night–easier during the week. Just a green salad completed the meal. I probably will be disappointed if I order this dish in a restaurant now. Thank you!
Hi Donna, I’m so glad you loved it!
Excellent Recipe!!! And relatively easy for this cooking dad of 2 hungry teen boys. They loved it, we all did. Using the convection feature of our oven was a great tip! Also, we had a big tub of Ricotta in our fridge so I used a dollop between the slices. Delicious.
Hi Rob, I’m so glad the eggplant Parm was a hit! Ricotta would be so good here!
I had to take the time to come back and leave feedback. Before trying this recipe, I was sure I didn’t like eggplant parm. I only tried it because someone gave me 3 eggplants and I didn’t want to throw them away, lol. This recipe is delicious. The red pepper flakes are such a great touch! We are a vegetarian/vegan family, so I substituted vegan parm in the coating mix (also didn’t have panko so I used regular breadcrumbs…worked fine!) and vegan shredded mozzarella on top. We will DEFINITELY be making this again. Thank you!
Hi Cathy, that’s amazing to hear! I’m so glad you loved this recipe and plan to make it again. Great to know the vegan substitutions worked well too!
It was very delicious and makes a lot! I served it with spaghetti
Thank you for the recipe. This was absolutely delicious and I love the little heat from the red pepper flakes. My husband enjoyed it. Also, one thing I wanted to ask I noticed after the dish had sat for maybe about two hours it was still very warm to the touch and did not need to microwave it but my mozzarella for some reason never Got stringy or runny it was almost like firm circles but of course flat because they’re only a quarter of an inch thick when I place them all through the middle and also on top , so just wondered if you had any little tips on the mozzarella
It was full fat, mozzarella log from Trader Joe’s but normally when mozzarella put on top of something it gets really gooey & stringy .
All the same fabulous & fulfilling recipe I will definitely do again, but maybe do something different with the mozzarella I don’t know . Thank you kindly.
My mozzarella didn’t melt either. It was fresh from Costco. I’m not sure what happened, but we were so disappointed. Everything else was delicious, especially the breaded, baked eggplant. I love that I didn’t have to salt it ahead of time. Also, I made my own red sauce which was excellent.
Hi Karen, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! In the future, you could bake it longer to get the cheese to melt, or you could slice the cheese more thinly or tear it into smaller pieces to promote melting. Another option is to substitute grated low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella for the fresh. Hope this helps!
Tasted yummy! My only complaint is too much panko & parmesan cheese mixture. I had soooo much leftover & I hate wasting food. I would reduce to 1 cup panko & 3/4 cup cheese.
Absolutely delicious. Followed it to the tee and would not dare change a thing. Best eggplant Parmesan I’ve ever had. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Hi Josh, that’s great to hear! I’m so glad you loved it.
I Salted sliced eggplant for 15 minutes and wiped off with a paper towel. Then, I breaded per recipe. Air fried eggplant slices for about 10 minutes at 380. Next time I’d slice eggplant thinner. For sauce, I sautéed onions and garlic, added some fresh chopped spinach and then added jarred sauce. Heated as I used part for recipe and part for some with pasta on the side. Sooooo delicious! Favorite way to make now!! And loved the seasoning for breading.
Tried this recipe out for the first time and it was absolutely amazing! It was fast, easy and best of all, no frying! Only modification I made was using skim milk in lieu of almond milk.
I’m so glad you loved it!
You don’t recommend purging your eggplant first?
Hi Katie
I read somewhere recently that salting eggplant was only done to get rid of the bitterness, but eggplants have been breed to no longer be bitter. So no longer need to do that step 🙂
Hope this helps.
Hi Katie, we do it because it helps soften the eggplant which works well in this recipe. I don’t always salt eggplant, depending on the use.
If I prepare this ahead of time (morning of), do I cook it and reheat it, or just keep it in the fridge and cook it at dinner?
That’s my question too. I’m wanting to make it ahead of time but will it get all soggy?
Hi Raquel, you can assemble the eggplant Parmesan a few hours in advance and bake it right before serving. It won’t be quite as crispy, but it will still taste delicious.