I’ve been making this eggplant Parmesan every August for almost 15 years! Based on my mom’s recipe, it’s always a hit—saucy, cheesy, and delicious.
Everyone goes crazy for corn and tomatoes in August, but there’s one unsung veggie that’s at its peak right now too… Eggplant! I’m planning to cook with it as much as I can this month, starting by making my all-time favorite eggplant recipe: this eggplant Parmesan.
The recipe is based on my mom’s, and it brings back all the memories I have of her eggplant Parmesan as a kid. Smelling the rich, cheesy aroma as she pulled it out of the oven, digging into the tender eggplant at the table next to my sister. I’ve been making this recipe in my own kitchen for years now (like…15?!), and I still crave it every summer.
Here’s why I love this eggplant Parmesan recipe:
- The crispy eggplant is baked, not fried. I love this approach because it allows you to use slightly less oil. I also think it’s easier! I’d much rather put all the eggplant on a sheet pan and slide it into the oven at once than fry batch after batch on the stove.
- It uses fresh mozzarella. I love how the cheese’s richness and creaminess balance the tangy tomato sauce.
- Herbs give it delicious depth of flavor. I use thyme and oregano in the breading for the eggplant and shower basil on top. They add a lovely freshness to this comforting dish.
If you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing, show-stopping dish to make with August produce, you have to try this eggplant Parmesan.
I love it, my mom loves it, and our readers love it too.
Hector wrote, “Wow! Just as you said, this is sure to be a family favorite. Baking the eggplant and using your homemade marinara recipe made all the difference—it was absolutely delicious!”
Get the recipe:
Want to try this recipe? Here are a few tips:
- You don’t have to sweat the eggplant (but you can). The #1 question I get asked about this recipe is whether you need to sweat the eggplant. I don’t find it necessary (I literally never do it), but if you want to, you can! In that case, I’d reduce the salt in the breading mixture to ¼ teaspoon so that the eggplant doesn’t get too salty.
- Homemade and store-bought marinara sauce both work great. I adore my homemade marinara sauce in this recipe, but admittedly, it’s a lot simpler to make with store-bought. I’ve used jarred sauce many times. Rao’s is my favorite.
I have made Eggplant Parm for over 50 years. I have always baked my eggplant slices. I do flour, egg & heavy cream, then a mixture of bread crumbs, Italian seasoning and Parm. Cheese. I do add a layer od sautéed onions and mushrooms.
I would like to make a big batch and freeze. Should I freeze it cooked or uncooked? Any tips for reheating?
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I love Eggplant Parm but I also love your pan. Can you please share where to get it.
Thank you,
Pamela
It’s this Staub pan, I love it!: https://www.zwilling.com/us/staub-cast-iron-15-x-10-inch-rectangular-roasting-pan-black-matte-1304023/40510-311-0.html
Can you remove skin or does it affect taste. My mom fried it but took off skin. This is healthier.
I made this and eggplant parm is one of my boyfriend’s faves. I loved the no muss no fuss with baking the eggplant vs frying and who doesn’t like extra health benefits?! I thought a panfull would be too much for the two of us but it was gone in 2 days! This is a must make, must keep recipe🙂
I made this and everyone who ate it loved it! I liked making the slices of eggplant thinning so they were crispy around the edges.