Classic Eggplant Parmesan
The whole family will love this classic eggplant parmesan! Slices of tender eggplant coated in homemade breadcrumbs, and then layered with melted cheeses & rich marinara! Whether you’d like to bake or fry the eggplant, this recipe has a method for both.
Growing up, I adored eggplant parm! No matter how laborious the cooking process was, it was always worth it in the end.
If you’ve never had it, eggplant parmesan is an Italian dish made up of slices of eggplant that are coated in flour, and breadcrumbs, and then baked in layers of rich marinara and melted cheese! It’s a must-try for any and all Italian food lovers.
It’s just like chicken parmigiana – but made vegetarian with eggplant instead of chicken!
For this recipe, I used a simple homemade breadcrumb recipe versus store-bought breadcrumbs. This is a simple change that really elevated the flavor and texture of the whole dish!
There are also two methods to make this dish – fried or baked. Frying the eggplant will mean using quite a bit of oil to brown the breaded eggplant. Baking the breaded eggplant on a tray in the oven requires a lot less oil, and is a little bit lighter and healthier! Either way you go, the dish will be exceptionally delicious.
Ingredients You Need
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this dish happen: eggplant, marinara, breadcrumbs, fresh herbs (basil & oregano), eggs, flour, garlic powder, dried herbs, oil, marinara, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese.
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How to Make Eggplant Parmesan – Step by Step
Sweat the eggplant slices with salt. After slicing the eggplant into 1/4-1/2 inch thick cuts, sprinkle with salt and let sit for 10 minutes before thoroughly patting dry with a paper towel. Be sure to wipe off any additional salt too.
Bread the eggplant. Assemble 3 bowls with flour, whisked eggs, and breadcrumb mixture.
First, dredge eggplant slice in flour on both sides, then dip into egg, and last dip in breadcrumbs – lightly pack breadcrumbs on with your hands. Then arrange it back onto a sheet pan. (If you are baking the eggplant and not frying it, make sure the sheet pan is brushed with oil).
Brown eggplant (two ways)
Pan fry: in a skillet with 1-2 Tablespoons of oil at a time, brown breaded eggplant for 2-3 minutes on each side. Repeat until all of the eggplant is finished. Place on paper towels to absorb any extra oils.
Bake: Preheat the oven to 350F, and arrange eggplant on a sheet pan brushed with olive oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
Assemble in a baking dish: in a large casserole or baking dish, spread a layer of marinara and then top with one layer of breaded eggplant.
Top eggplant with mozzarella slices, a spoonful of marinara, then top with parmesan cheese.
Repeat with another layer of breaded eggplant, mozzarella, marinara, and parmesan cheese.
Bake uncovered at 400F for 30 minutes. Top with additional fresh parmesan and chopped fresh basil & oregano.
Extra Tips for Success
Types of sauce to use: I recommend serving this dish with quality marinara sauce! I love using our San Marzano tomato sauce for a homemade sauce or using our favorite store-bought marinara. You can also spice up the dish and use our homemade arrabbiata sauce.
Types of flours for dredging: I recommend I finely ground flour for dredging the eggplant such as all-purpose, white whole wheat, gluten-free flour blend, or oat flour.
Make it gluten-free: use a gluten-free flour blend for dredging eggplant and either store-bought gluten-free breadcrumbs or make homemade breadcrumbs with your favorite gluten-free bread.
How to avoid “tough” eggplant: in some cases, the eggplant parm can come out tough in texture which would mean that it’s underdone/undercooked. To avoid this, make sure eggplant cuts are no thicker than 1/2 inch. I like to shoot between 1/4 to 1/2 inch in thickness to ensure they’ll be fully cooked through!
Do I have to peel the eggplant before cooking? Eggplant skin is completely edible and actually gives a “meatier” texture to the vegetables when cooked. I recommend keeping the skin on instead of peeling.
Types of bread to use for homemade breadcrumbs: this recipe includes a homemade breadcrumb recipe that is super easy to make! The types of bread you can use are endless. You can make it with healthier grain bread, white bread, your favorite gluten-free brand, or Ezekiel bread. For this recipe, I used this specific grain bread.
How to Freeze & Store Leftovers
Keep leftovers fresh: if you’re not freezing leftovers, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days. Reheat in the oven at 350F until warm or microwave.
How to Freeze (three ways)
Freeze fried/baked eggplant: if you have extra breaded & cooked eggplant leftover, you can store flat in freezer-friendly bags (layered with parchment paper) and freeze up to 1-2 months to make at another time.
Freeze before baking: Assemble eggplant parmesan as the recipe instructs, but don’t bake it. Cover with plastic wrap, then cover with foil and freeze for up to 1 month. Then thaw at room temperature and bake when ready to eat!
Freeze leftovers: Assemble eggplant parmesan as the recipe instructs and bake it. Store leftovers in airtight containers and freeze for up to 1 month – thaw at room temperature and reheat in the oven at 400F until warm.
More Italian Eggplant Recipes
- Baked Eggplant Rollatini
- 6 Ingredient Roasted Eggplant Pasta
- Cheesy Rotini Pasta with Roasted Vegetables
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Classic Eggplant Parmesan
The whole family will love this classic eggplant parmesan! Slices of tender eggplant coated in homemade breadcrumbs, and then layered with melted cheeses & rich marinara! Whether you'd like to bake or fry the eggplant, this recipe has a method for both.
Ingredients
Eggplant
- 2 large eggplants
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (see notes)
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup olive oil (for fried eggplant method)
Homemade Breadcrumbs
- 6 bread slices (about 1 1/2 cups – see notes) for more info use our homemade breadcrumb recipe.
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 2 teaspoons Italian herb blend
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (each) salt & black pepper
Toppings
- 1 1/2 cups marinara if you like a lot of sauce you can aim for 2 to 2 1/2 cups of sauce
- 1 lb mozzarella cheese
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 1-2 Tablespoons fresh basil chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano chopped
Instructions
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Slice eggplant: remove stem from eggplant then slice into 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices.
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Sweat eggplant: arrange slices on a pan and sprinkle with a pinch of coarse salt on both sides. Let sit and "sweat" excess moisture for 10 minutes. Pat firmly with paper towels to dry eggplant thoroughly (wipe off salt as well).
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Breadcrumbs: toast slices of bread. Then chop in food processor until consistency is crumbs. Mix breadcrumbs in a bowl with garlic powder, salt & pepper, Italian herbs, and shredded parmesan cheese. Tip: If you are not making your own breadcrumbs, use 1 1/2 cups of store-bought breadcrumbs instead.
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Bread eggplant: arrange three bowls containing whisked eggs, flour, and breadcrumb mixture. First, coat eggplant in flour on both sides, then dip into eggs, and then dip into breadcrumbs – pack onto eggplant and then gently shake off excess crumbs. Wipe hands with paper towel then repeat. Tip: if baking eggplant instead of frying, brush a sheet pan with 1-2 Tablespoons of oil and arrange breaded eggplant onto pan as you coat them.
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Pan frying method: in a skillet pan, add 1-2 Tablespoons of oil at a time, and cook breaded eggplant for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Lay on paper towels to soak up excess oil. Repeat until all eggplant has been fried.
Baking method: instead of pan frying you can also bake the eggplant to use less oil. Preheat oven to 350F and arrange breaded slices onto sheet pan that is brushed with 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for 25 minutes until golden.
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Assemble: in a large casserole dish, spread a generous layer of marinara on the bottom. Then layer: eggplant slices, mozzarella, a spoonful of marinara, and shredded parmesan. Repeat an additional layer (breaded eggplant, mozzarella, marinara, and shredded parmesan).
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Bake: Then bake at 400F uncovered for 30 minutes until cheese is browned and melted. Top with chopped fresh basil & oregano, and serve!
Recipe Video
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Excellent!! So glad I came across this recipe and tried it. Loved it.
Thanks for trying it out, Peggy! I’m so glad you loved it 🙂
This was delicious. I used trader Joes Marinara. The whole family enjoyed it.
Forgot to rate first comment. I used panko for bread crumbs. It was still great
Forgot to rate first comment. I used panko for bread crumbs everyone wants to eat it again tomorrow. That is rare
Thank you so much, Chezi! Happy to hear the family enjoyed it as well 🙂
Forgot to rate on my first comment 🙂
This was my first time making anything with eggplant and it was so good. I did follow my heart as far how much seasoning to put in the breadcrumb mixture… But I usually do that with any recipe. I will definitely be making this again. It satisfies that craving for an Italian dish without the extra carbs of having pasta. Loved it. 🫶🏼
Thank you so much, Taina! Happy to hear this was your first eggplant recipe. We have many more eggplant recipes on the blog. It’s one of my favorite vegetables to cook with! 🙂
Hi Bethany, my family was pretty surprised after we all ate more than one serving, we all think it’s the best we’ve ever had, restaurants included!
Thank you so much, Owen! What a compliment. 🙂 Glad you all enjoyed it so much!!
Great recipe! Pain in the behind to make though. Once you have the egg-crumb-flour assembly line going, I definitely recommend making extra as indicated and freezing. Way easier to skip the first 4 steps the 2nd or 3rd time you make it.
It’s definitely a labor of love! As are many Italian dishes. But it’s always worth it! And yes, great idea to freeze so its not so much work the next time around 🙂 Thanks, Bruce!
Best Eggplant parmesan I ever ate! My family raved over it!!
I had extra eggplant in my family even mentioned that they would need it again the next day because I still had fresh eggplant !! ( and my kids fight me tooth and nail about eating leftovers). But I can guarantee this will be one of the meals that I plan on making once a month!! I served it with my homemade spaghetti sauce that I canned from fresh tomatoes in the garden.
The flavor was amazing. I did try fast on each side and then I put it in the oven with the sauce and cheese while I finished cooking the pasta just to make it crunchier. I was afraid of over frying the eggplant and ruining it) it was perfect! If I could give this recipe 10 stars I would, and so with my family!! Thank you!!
Easy to follow and turned out great. I could have used a little more sauce for serving.
Thanks for trying it, Emily! And yes, I intentionally do not drown this recipe in sauce because I want the eggplant to shine through. But I’ve added a note in the recipe card in case other readers want more sauce than what the recipe calls for. My dad always asks for more sauce when I make this 🙂
Good stuff
Thank you, Jamie!
Raos has a TON of sodium in it so Ive stopped using it as a store bought option. I can feel my fingers swelling whenever I eat it.
Yes, if sodium is an issue I would highly recommend making your own sauce. Rao’s is only my recommendation if you’re short on time. 🙂
Very good
Thank you, Arl!
Instead of baking or frying the eggplant, I air fried using about a tablespoon of olive oil for two medium sized egg plants. That way I got the ice crispness without the over abundance of oil. Everyone said it was the best EPP they ever enjoyed.
So glad the air fryer method could work! Thanks so much sharing, Ralph 🙂
Love it, simple and quick recipe 😋
so happy to hear it! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Love this Recipe, made it twice so far! Everyone loves it!
Love to hear it, Tantamika!! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Thanks Bethany, learning to cook for my sweet wife, love the eggplant
Love it! Hope you both enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for sharing, Paul!