Eggplant parmesan has somehow become one of those recipes people treat like an Iron Chef event. Salt it. Sweat it. Bread it. Fry it. Sacrifice an entire afternoon to the Kitchen Gods and hope nobody complains. Bless their hearts.
This baked eggplant parmesan skips the breadcrumbs, skips the drama, and still comes out bubbling with marinara, gooey mozzarella, and enough Parmesan to make an Italian grandmother pause before deciding whether to approve.
Table of Contents
This post may contain affiliate links. If you grab something through them, I earn a small commission-at no extra cost to you-and I appreciate it more than good coffee.
🥰 Is this baked eggplant parmesan recipe for you?
This is what you've been looking for if:
- You want all the cheesy, saucy comfort of classic eggplant parmesan without turning your kitchen into a scene from Kitchen Nightmares.
- You'd rather save your carbs for garlic bread... or dessert. (I'm not here to judge your priorities.)
- You've got a vegetarian coming for dinner and would prefer not to wander into tofu territory.
- You love crispy edges, gooey cheese, and recipes that don't require three mixing bowls and a pep talk.
🎥 Video
🧾 Ingredients
No breadcrumbs. No complicated coating station. No tiny bowls multiplying across your countertop like bunnies. Just a handful of simple ingredients that come together into a bubbling pan of cheesy comfort food.
- Eggplant: Choose a firm, glossy eggplant that's heavy for its size. Smaller eggplants tend to have fewer seeds and a milder flavor.
- Olive oil: Brushing the eggplant with olive oil helps it roast until tender with beautifully browned edges.
- Marinara sauce: Use your favorite jarred marinara or homemade if you have some hanging around. With so few ingredients, a good marinara really shines.
- Mozzarella: Freshly shredded mozzarella melts more smoothly than the pre-shredded kind, but either will work.
- Parmesan: Freshly grated Parmesan adds the best flavor and browns beautifully on top. The shelf-stable kind won't give you quite the same rich, nutty finish.
Be sure to grab the free printable baked eggplant parmesan cheat sheet for extra faqs, tips, variations, and more.
📖 Recipe
Baked Eggplant Parmesan
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 2 lbs eggplant, sliced ¾ - 1 inch thick
- extra virgin olive oil, for brushing eggplant
- salt
- 5 cups marinara sauce
- 1 pound mozzarella, grated from a block
- 1 ½ cups Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Add ½ cup Mozzarella and ½ cup Parmesan to a small bowl. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Line a couple of sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Slice the eggplant about ¾ of an inch thick. You can peel it if you prefer - I don't.
- Brush the slices on both sides with olive oil
- Layer them in an even layer on the sheet pans.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 10 minutes, turn, and return to the oven.
- Bake 10 -20 minutes more, or until soft and cooked through.
- Remove from oven.
- Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with no-stick cooking spray.
- Spread about ½ cup of sauce in the bottom of the baking dish and spread to cover.
- Place a layer of eggplant over the sauce.
- Spread with some of the sauce.
- Sprinkle with some of the cheese.
- Repeat layers ending with sauce.
- Turn the oven down to 350F.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and add the reserved cheese to the top.
- Bake for another 10 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven, tent the foil over the top, and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- The eggplant skin gives a great texture to this dish, but if you prefer you can peel the eggplant first.
- Don't cover this with aluminum foil for storing. The acids in the tomato sauce will eat through the aluminum foil and it will cause the casserole to have an off flavor.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
Love this recipe?
Subscribe to the free membership group and never miss another recipe!
🔪 How to make baked eggplant parm
If you can slice, layer, and resist eating all the cheese before it hits the baking dish, you've already mastered the hardest part of this recipe. Babycakes, you've got this!
- Slice the eggplant into ¾-inch rounds, brush both sides lightly with olive oil, and roast until the slices are tender and lightly browned around the edges.
- Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Add a layer of roasted eggplant, spoon on more sauce, and sprinkle generously with mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Repeat the layers, finishing with the remaining sauce and a generous layer of cheese on top.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and lightly golden.
😱 What can go wrong (and how to fix it)
🧀 Rubbery eggplant?
Roast the slices until they're completely tender before layering the casserole. Undercooked eggplant is the most common reason for a chewy texture.
🧀 Watery casserole?
Roast the eggplant until the edges are lightly browned before assembling the casserole. That extra roasting time cooks off excess moisture so the sauce stays rich instead of soupy.
🧀 Cheese won't brown?
Remove the foil for the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking so the mozzarella can melt, bubble, and turn lightly golden.
🧀 Falling apart when you serve it?
Let the casserole rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. It'll set up beautifully and stay together instead of sliding all over the plate like an inebriated hockey player.
Expert Tip: Try to slice the eggplant as evenly as possible so that the slices all cook at the same rate.
👩🍳 FAQs
In most cases it's not necessary.
No, you don't need to peel the eggplant. I actually like to leave the skin on because it has a nice flavor and texture.
📚 More Italian inspired comfort food
If you love eggplant as much as I do you'll love this cheesy, southern eggplant casserole, too.
🍽️ What to serve with baked eggplant parmesan
🏡 Turns out you don't need breadcrumbs, a frying pan, or an afternoon of kitchen gymnastics to make great eggplant Parmesan. Just good ingredients, plenty of cheese, and a recipe that knows dinner shouldn't feel like a part-time job.
If this recipe makes its way to your table, I'd love to hear about it. Leave a comment below and tell me how it turned out... or whether anyone noticed the breadcrumbs were missing.
Tricia says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
It was delicious I didn’t say anything to my guy about not frying or no breadcrumbs (cutting carbs anywhere I can) until after he ate it He loved it and he’s not easy ! Thanks a bunch !!!
PJ says
Hi Marye. I have my frozen eggplant casserole thawing now for dinner! I like to make at least two small casseroles one for then and the other for later. YOU taught me this - I called it Lasagna (eggplant instead of noodles) great for everyone especially diabetic 1's. Thank you!
BTW - I peel my eggplant, use red pepper flakes and I don't bother to roast the eggplant ahead of time. Delicious.
M H Edwards says
Although i have not given this a try i can usually spot a good recipe. I was looking 4 u to comment on the cheese as u did on another recipe calling 4 cream cheese. U cautioned to use full fat and not reduced. I never understood the charm of mozzarella until i discovered (Sargento's) full fat mozzarella cheese. This is not an endorsement in any way, just a fact. I appreciate ur advice on not to allow 4 the storage of tomato sauce or any other contact with aluminum, I destroyed a fine heavy aluminum pot of my Grandmothers this way. To my dismay, I couldn't figure out a way to stop the pitting on the interior. Lastly, I spotted you right off u as a Southern Girl when u mentioned the Jack Daniel's Caramel Sauce! LOL. WE southerners seem to find many ways of sneaking it into many dishes, like baked Sweet Potatoes, etc. Lastly, thank u for the time u take to carefully post ur recipes for clarity and I look forward to visiting ur site again and again. Cheers