Here's a delicious and easy baked eggplant parmesan recipe that doesn't need to be breaded and fried making this dish less messy to make and healthier to eat.
Eggplant parmesan is a great dish to have with dinner when some of your people are vegetarian. So this year at the beach I made a large casserole of baked eggplant parm and it was a big hit.
Trying to bread and fry the eggplant seems like too much of a mess and extra work so I didn't. However, I did add some seasoned breadcrumbs (with Parmesan cheese) to the dish to give it that parmesan flavor and to keep the eggplant from getting soggy.
Making Eggplant Parmesan
I made a light sauce with fresh mini tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil. However, you can use any good store bought marinara sauce.
Just slice up the tomatoes and saute them in a little olive oil with some garlic. After they break down a little add in the basil and let it cook for a few more minutes before removing the pan from the heat.
In the meantime, cut off the top and bottom of the eggplants and peel off the skin. Technically you could leave the skin on.
If you are growing your own eggplants the skin may be nice and tender and thin. However, I bought these at the grocery store so to play it safe I removed the skin.
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Then slice the eggplant lengthwise nice and thin.
Salt both sides of the eggplant slices and place them on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.
More paper towels go on top and a heavy baking dish helps to weigh it down. This process helps to remove some of the excess moisture from the eggplant while seasoning the flesh.
Layering the Eggplant Parmesan
This dish only has two layers so everything is half. Start with half of your tomato mixture. If you are using jarred tomato sauce I'd use about 1/2 of a cup here. You don't want too much sauce for the eggplant to soak up and get soggy.
Next layer half of the eggplant in a single layer (overlap as needed), followed by 1/2 cup of breadcrumb mixture and half of the mozzarella slices.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients and cover with foil before placing it in a 375 degree oven for 30 - 40 minutes.
Remove the foil and place the pan back into the oven for another 10 minutes to finish cooking and allow the cheese to brown slightly.
It will be really hot so let it sit for a while before serving. You could let it sit for 15 minutes or more and the juices will settle up and make it easier to serve.
Though we served this as a side dish you could make it the main dish and serve it with a side of pasta and a fresh salad. So fresh and tasty. Especially if you are an eggplant lover.
More Great Eggplant Recipes
Easy Baked Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Eggplants
- 6 cups Mini Tomatoes
- 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese sliced thin
- 2 cloves garlic grated or crushed
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Slice the tomatoes in half and saute with garlic for 8 minutes.
- Add chopped basil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and simmer for 2 minutes then set aside.
- Peel and thinly slice the eggplant.
- Lay the eggplant slices on paper towels and salt on both sides.
- Top with more paper towels and set a heavy pan on top for 10 minutes.
- Place half of the tomato mixture in the bottom of a large casserole dish.
- Next layer half of the eggplant slices overlapping as needed.
- Sprinkle half of the breadcrumbs on top.
- Followed by half of the mozzarella slices.
- Repeat with the remaining tomato mixture, eggplant, breadcrumbs and fresh mozzarella.
- Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned.
- Allow the Eggplant Parmesan to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although attempts have been made to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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