This oven fried and Baked Eggplant Parmesan is the ultimate Italian comfort food. Coating tender slices of eggplant with a combination of seasoned panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and "frying" them in the oven is mess free and easy. The eggplant is always delicious, crispy, and golden brown! This layered dish with basil marinara and Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses will be a family favorite.
Double cheesy, crispy, tomatoey and all around deliciousness! I always thought that making baked eggplant Parmesan was a time consuming dish to prepare. Standing over the stove frying endless batches of breaded eggplant is definitely not my favorite cooking task. And the messy and greasy stovetop from all the frying - no thank you!
With baked eggplant Parmesan being a frequent request of my personal chef clients, oven frying the eggplant streamlines my time in in my clients' kitchens.
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Ingredients
- eggplant
- large eggs
- all purpose flour
- Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs
- Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt
- pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
- marinara sauce - I vote for a homemade sauce!
- mozzarella cheese
With layers of crispy eggplant, fresh basil marinara, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, this easy baked eggplant Parmesan recipe resembles a vegetable lasagna ~ just without the noodles.
How to make oven fried eggplant slices
Do you love crispy golden brown eggplant? And are you a fan of less work in the kitchen? Then oven frying is the technique to use. Just follow these easy steps.
- Preheat 2 large baking sheets in the oven.
- Bread eggplant slices ~ dip in seasoned flour then egg then bread crumbs.
- Add some oil to the baking sheets in the oven and place breaded eggplant on baking sheets.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Flip over. And bake for 15 more minutes.
And that's it! Beautifully golden brown and crispy eggplant slices without all the work of frying in oil in a pan over the stove.
Expert tips
- To peel or not to peel? The eggplant that is. It's really just a matter of personal preference. I like to keep the peel on the eggplant. Not only does the peel add vitamins and minerals to the dish, it looks pretty too.
- To salt or not to salt? Again, this is a matter of personal preference. This method does draw out some of the water, but not enough to drastically change the finished dish. Many think this draws out the bitterness too. But most eggplants these days are more on the mild side. So there is still no need to salt the eggplant slices.
- Making your own batch of marinara really adds to the homemade taste of this baked eggplant Parmesan. While the eggplant is oven frying, it is easy peasy to toss together a delicious marinara sauce with fresh basil.
- I'm always a fan of shredding your own cheese. Preshedded cheese is not as fresh tasting and is coated with an anticlumping ingredient which inhibits its meltability. Either use a hand grater (and get in a good arm workout) or a food processor to get the shredding done.
can you make eggplant parmesan in advance?
This big batch version of the Italian classic casserole feeds at 6 really hungry people or up to 10 when cut in smaller pieces. What I love about this dish, is that it also reheats beautifully! It's perfect to make ahead (it stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days) and reheat whenever hunger strikes. Reheat in the microwave on 60% power for 2 to 3 minutes per piece.
If you make my eggplant Parmesan recipe, be sure to give it a rating and/or comment. Thank you!
Recipe
Oven Fried and Baked Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants about 2 ½ pounds total weight
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs
- 1 ½ cups grated Parmesan cheese divided
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cups marinara sauce - I vote for a homemade sauce!
- 12 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place 2 large rimmed baking sheets on the racks in the upper and lower third of the oven.
- Slice the eggplant into ½ inch slices. You want 24 slices of eggplant. Set aside.
- Gather 3 medium sized bowls and another baking sheet.
- In one bowl, add the flour and season with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- In a second bowl, whisk the 2 eggs with 2 tablespoons of water.
- In a third bowl, add the panko bread crumbs and ½ cup of Parmesan cheese.
- Begin breading the eggplant slices with the following steps. Dip a slice of eggplant into the seasoned flour then into the egg and then into the panko bread crumbs. Be sure to thoroughly coat both sides of the eggplant at each step. Set the breaded eggplant on the baking sheet. Continue breading the remainder of the eggplant slices.
- Remove the heated baking sheets for the oven. Pour about 3 to 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on each sheet. Tilt the pans to spread out the oil.
- Place the breaded eggplant in a single layer on the baking sheets and return to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Flip the eggplant slices over and switch the baking sheets to the opposite racks. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Both sides of the eggplant should be crispy and golden brown. Remove from the oven.
- In a 9 x 13 inch baking pan, spread about ¾ cup of marinara sauce. Place 6 of the eggplant slices in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with ¼ of the shredded mozzarella cheese and ¼ of the Parmesan cheese. Drizzle ¼ of marinara sauce over the eggplant. The eggplant slices will not be completely covered with the sauce or cheeses.
- Continue making 3 more layers with 6 eggplant slices in each layer. Sprinkle the final layer with more Parmesan cheese.
- Bake in a 425 degree F oven for about 20 minutes. The cheese should be lightly browned and the sauce bubbly.
Video
Notes
- To peel or not to peel? The eggplant that is. It's really just a matter of personal preference. I like to keep the peel on. Not only does it the eggplant peel add vitamins and minerals to the dish, it looks pretty too.
- To salt or not to salt? Again, this is a matter of personal preference. This method does draw some of the water, but not enough to drastically change the finished dish. Many think this draws out the bitterness too. But most eggplants these days are more on the mild side. So there is still no need to salt the eggplant slices.
- Making your own batch of marinara really adds to the homemade taste of this baked eggplant Parmesan. While the eggplant is oven frying, it is easy peasy to toss together a delicious marinara sauce with fresh basil.
- I'm always a fan of shredding your own cheese. Preshedded cheese is not as fresh tasting and is coated with an anticlumping ingredient which inhibits its meltability. Either use a hand grater (and get in a good arm workout) or a food processor to get the shredding done.
Paula C says
Would it be possible to make this without breadcrumbs?
Amy Casey says
Yes it would. Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil and sprinkle with a dried Italian herb blend, kosher salt and pepper. Roast in a 425 oven for 10-15 minutes per side.
Shannon M says
Have been making this over and over again! It freezes wonderfully, and I portion it out into meal size pieces for easy weeknight dinners! No huge mess but still big flavor!
Amy Casey says
This is one of my favorite freezer meals. It tastes just as good as when it was made.
Shannon M says
My standby tried and true eggplant parm recipe! Never made it before this recipe and it was easy to follow the recipe and delicious!
Amy Casey says
I love to hear that Shannon! This recipe is an all time favorite of my personal chef clients and my family.
Debbie Curtis says
The best ever and I will never fry eggplant again. I did add some extra spices to the breading but it came out so crispy and delicious, now it will be a weekly event. Will follow you from now on. Thanks, from one Jersey Shore girl to another.
Amy Casey says
That's awesome! After I used this technique of oven frying, I've never gone back to pan frying! I'm so glad you enjoyed my recipe.
Jill says
I will never pan fry eggplant again! This oven method for "frying" the eggplant worked beautifully. Great easy recipe everyone loved. Sprinkled fresh basil ribbons over the top right out of the oven for a little extra punch and color. Thanks for a new family favorite!
Amy Casey says
That is fabulous Jill! Oven frying is a game changer. I'm so glad you enjoyed my recipe.
G says
This was SO GOOD. Found the recipe via a Facebook group for vegetarian recipes and I knew I wanted to try this one. Halved the recipe as I am only cooking for myself, but it worked perfectly. The eggplant is already delicious, so crispy and melts in your mouth after getting out of the oven (I could eat an entire tray of those). But it's even better coupled with the marinara and cheese. Had it with some lettuce/spinach. Amazing recipe.
This is the first eggplant parmesan recipe I have ever tried, but I will definitely stick to it! Thanks Amy.
Amy Casey says
I'm so glad you enjoyed my recipe! It's a family and client favorite. I make it so often that I think I could make it in my sleep 🙂 Thanks for your feedback ~ I really appreciate it.