This baked Eggplant Parmesan recipe is one of the most requested recipes on my blog. I make it with breaded slices of eggplant fried until crispy, then layered with pomodoro sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil. It serves up to 8 people and is the perfect Italian main dish to share with family and friends.
I confess I do not love eggplant, and this is the recipe I put off for years. But, you guys kept asking. Makes me a bad Italian, I suppose. Ha! What finally got me over it was talking to my dad about how my grandma cooked it. Once I heard “sliced them thick and breaded them up in breadcrumbs,” the whole recipe started to make sense. This eggplant parm recipe goes hand in hand with my chicken parmigiana and my homemade Italian breadcrumbs. It’s also one of the very few eggplant recipes I genuinely enjoy making, alongside my caponata and my baba ganoush.
Eggplant Parmesan
Eggplant parmesan is an Italian casserole of breaded and fried eggplant slices layered with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and grated hard cheese. It’s then baked until the top is set and the cheese is browned. The Italian original, melanzane alla parmigiana, uses eggplant that is either lightly floured and fried or grilled, without a full breading, and the dish traces back to southern Italy. Somewhere between southern Italy and US, home cooks, including my grandma, took on the full three-stage breading procedure. Breading anything was an easy, cheap way to stretch a meal for a big family of 5, like my dad’s.
My grandma is the reason this recipe is on my blog. I talked to my dad and asked him what his mother did with eggplant. The memory that came right back to him was thick-cut slices, an Italian breadcrumb coat, fried on the stove, layered with sauce and cheese, and out of the oven the second the top browned. My grandpa was the one who told my grandma that anything he ate had to have breadcrumbs. She found a way to put them on everything, so my dad grew up eating a lot of breaded foods.
When I started developing this recipe, I took everything I already knew about how I wanted eggplant to taste. Super flavorful and combined with the techniques my dad remembered from my grandma’s version. I slice the eggplant thick, salt and press it well, bread it through 3 bowls with lemon zest in the breadcrumbs, fry it until golden. Then I layer it with pomodoro sauce and fresh mozzarella, then bake it and let it rest before slicing.
In the end, I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I ate the first pan for 2 days straight, and maybe now I’ll start cooking with eggplant more often. This is the eggplant Parmesan I would proudly serve to my grandma, and I really hope you give it a try.
Ingredients and Substitutions
To make this eggplant Parmesan recipe, I use fresh eggplants, a classic three-step breading, homemade pomodoro sauce, and fresh mozzarella. Here is everything you’ll need, along with a few substitutions that I can assure you work just as well:
For the Eggplant:
- Eggplants are the main component of the dish, and a firm to the touch eggplant is what says fresh. Globe eggplants are my default because the thick slices hold together through the breading, the fry, and the bake. Japanese eggplants work if that is what is at the market; slice thicker to compensate for the smaller diameter.
- Kosher salt for pre-salting is the step that draws moisture out of the eggplant. Diamond Crystal is my default.
Breading:
- All-purpose flour – The first stage of the breading. It seasons the surface of the eggplant and gives the egg wash something to grab so the crumbs actually stay on through the fry.
- Eggs – The second stage, and where a second layer of seasoning goes on.
- Bread crumbs – The stage that makes the whole dish. Homemade Italian breadcrumbs with dried herbs mixed in is my default, and plain breadcrumbs work when there is no Italian mix in the pantry.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano is what I mix into the breadcrumbs and also as the finishing layer. Umami, natural salt, aged funk, and that particular cheesiness that only a real Parmigiano-Reggiano brings to the table. Pecorino Romano is a fair swap alongside the Parmigiano, and it comes in sharper and saltier.
- Garlic granules and onion granules – Two dried aromatics folded into the breadcrumb mix. Garlic granules give a garlic flavor without the raw sharpness of a fresh clove. Onion granules add savory, umami background notes to the finished crust.
- Dried parsley – A mild earthy herb note in the breadcrumbs. It always signals freshness on the finished plate.
- Lemon zest – The ingredient home cooks skip on this dish and the one that ties the whole thing together. Fresh zest brightens the crust and cuts any bitterness left in the eggplant. Do not skip it.
For the Casserole:
- Pomodoro sauce – My homemade pomodoro is what I use. it’s simple, light, and the tomatoes get to sit front and center where they belong. The sauce pairs masterfully with the breaded fried eggplant and cheeses. A favorite jarred sauce works too, and my homemade marinara or a good store-bought marinara are both fair swaps.
- Fresh mozzarella – Buttery, richer, and where a lot of the finished flavor sits. Fresh mozzarella melts into the layers instead of stringing up on top the way low-moisture mozzarella does. Low-moisture shredded mozzarella is the swap; the finished casserole comes out drier and less rich.
- Fresh basil leaves that are sweet with light hints of pepper and mint. Tucked between the layers, basil is what ties the sauce, eggplant, and cheeses onto the same plate. Dried basil is a fair swap approximately 1 teaspoon of dried basil for each layer.
- Frying oil – A neutral, high-smoke-point oil. Avocado oil is my default because it holds temperature without breaking down.
- Salt and pepper – Diamond Crystal kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper on everything the salt shaker gets close to.
How to Make Eggplant Parmesan
Slice eggplants: Remove the stem end of each eggplant and shave a thin slice off one side so the first cut is not all peel. Cut the eggplants into 1/2 inch thick rounds, aiming for 12 to 14 slices total.
Pre-salt the eggplant: Lay the slices in a single layer on a rack over a sheet tray, or on paper towels. Season each side with a light pinch of salt, about 1/8 teaspoon per slice. Rest the slices for 30 minutes to draw moisture out.
Press the moisture out: Pat the slices dry on both sides with paper towels, then lay them flat between two layers of kitchen towels or paper towels. Set a sheet tray on top and weight it down with jars of tomatoes, a cast iron skillet, or anything heavy from the pantry. Rest for 20 minutes.
Air dry the slices: Move the pressed slices back onto the racks and let them air dry for 10 minutes.
Set up the three-bowl breading: Add the all-purpose flour to a 9-inch cake tin or wide shallow bowl and season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.
In a second tin, whisk the eggs with another pinch of salt and pepper until fully broken up.
In a third tin, mix the breadcrumbs, half a cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, garlic granules, onion granules, dried parsley, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste the breadcrumb mix on a fingertip. It should already taste seasoned.
Bread each slice: Take one slice of eggplant, coat it fully in the flour, and shake off any excess. Dip it in the egg wash until every side is covered, let the extra drain off, then press it into the breadcrumbs. Pack the crumbs on with real pressure so they lock into the coating. Set the breaded slice on a rack and repeat with the rest. Rest the breaded slices for 10 minutes so the coating tightens up before it hits the oil.
Make sauce: I prefer to make my easy pomodoro sauce recipe from scratch.
Heat oil: I add enough neutral oil to a large nonstick skillet to come about 1/2 inch up the sides, and heat over medium heat until a thermometer shows 375°F.
Fry the eggplant: Fry 3 to 4 slices at a time for about 90 seconds per side, until the crust is golden brown. The oil temperature drops when the eggplant hits, which is why I start at 375°F instead of 350°F. Drain each finished slice on paper towels and repeat until every slice is fried.
Layer the casserole: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spoon about a scant 1 cup of pomodoro sauce across the bottom of a deep 12×8 or shallow 13×9 casserole dish. Lay 3 fried slices in the 12×8 dish (or 4 in the 13×9), top with several slices of fresh mozzarella, 1/3 cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and 6 to 8 basil leaves, then spoon another layer of pomodoro over the top. Repeat the layering until every slice is used, ending on eggplant. Finish with a full cup of pomodoro, the last of the mozzarella slices, and the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Bake and broil: Bake the casserole on the middle rack at 375°F for 40 minutes. Switch the oven to high broil for the last 3 to 4 minutes, watching the top the whole time, until the cheese is golden brown in patches across the surface.
Rest before serving: Take the casserole out of the oven and rest it at room temperature for 20 minutes before the first slice comes out. Slice and serve with extra pomodoro, a shave of Parmigiano, torn basil, and a fresh grate of lemon zest.
Chef Tip + Notes
If I had to pick my top tip for making the best Eggplant Parmesan, it would be to pre-salt the eggplant. Why? Because this step is key to removing as much moisture as possible. If you skip it, you can end up with a lot of water in the bottom of the casserole dish and mushy eggplant. This is exactly why I have always hated it. So, I highly recommend not skipping this step, along with the other chef tips I share in detail below.
- Fry at 375°F, not 350°F: The oil temperature drops the second the eggplant hits the pan, so starting at 375°F means it actually fries at the temperature I want. Start at 350°F and the eggplant sits in cooler oil, soaks up too much of it, and comes out with a heavy crust. Hard pass!
- Zest the lemon into the breadcrumbs because it is the single ingredient in this whole recipe that brightens the finish and cuts through any bitterness left in the eggplant. Skip it, and the dish can start to taste pretty basic by the second forkful.
- End on eggplant, then top with sauce and cheese: The final layer under the top sauce is always eggplant, not mozzarella. That gives the casserole a real structural top layer to slice against, and it keeps the fresh mozzarella at the surface where it can brown under the broiler.
- Rest 20 minutes, this is a must! I recommend you to set a timer once the casserole comes out of the oven, super easy. Slicing into a hot dish is what wrecks the presentation on a plate that took an hour of prep to earn.
Serving Suggestions
Sunday supper is when I highly recommend serving this dish. I like to pull a big casserole out of the oven around 4, then let it rest on the counter while a pot of extra pomodoro simmers on the back burner. By 5, the table is set with a stack of homemade garlic bread and a bowl of Italian chopped salad on the side. How does that sound?
For a family-style Italian dinner that stretches into a real evening, I serve this next to a tray of Italian sausage and peppers. If anyone wants meat, they can enjoy the sausage while those who prefer a vegetarian option can dig into the eggplant Parmesan. And for dessert, I love serving slices of pistachio cake and my homemade cannoli. Now that’s what I call an Italian feast!
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: I bread and fry the eggplant slices up to a day ahead. I then store them in a single layer on a paper-towel-lined sheet tray in the fridge, and layer the casserole and bake it the day I want to serve it. The finished casserole itself does not sit well in the fridge before baking, because the breading loses its crunch overnight.
How to Store: I keep leftovers in the casserole dish covered tight with foil in the fridge for up to 3 days. Eggplant gets weird quick, and this dish is not one that improves the longer it sits, so eat it inside 3 days for the best texture.
How to Reheat: I warm leftover slices covered with foil in a 350°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes. The cheese will be soft again and the sauce is bubbling around the edges. The eggplant does start to break down every time it is reheated, so a leftover slice is never as structured as the first-night slice.
How to Freeze: I do not recommend freezing this one, but it can be done. Wrap individual portions tight in foil. Then freeze covered for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge for a full day before baking to warm through.
More Authentic Italian Recipes
- Classic Lasagna Bolognese
- Italian Meatball Recipe (Spaghetti and Meatballs)
- Homemade Ravioli
- Creamy Risotto
- Focaccia Recipe (Focaccia alla Genovese)
Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 medium to large sized globe eggplants, the goal is 12 thick slices
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups bread crumbs
- 2 cups grated parmigiano Reggiano, + more for garnish
- 2 tsp garlic granules
- 2 tsp onion granules
- 2 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 lemon zest, about 1 tablespoon + more for garnish
- 6 cups prepared pomodoro sauce
- 1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
- 25-30 fresh basil leaves, + more for garnish
- oil for frying and garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preparing the eggplant:
- Remove the stem end of the eggplant. Next, make a thin slice of side of it so 1 slice isn’t just a peeling. Then make ½ ich thick slices. You should get between 12 and 14 slices of eggplant.
- Place the eggplant in a single later on a rack over a sheet tray, or even on paper towels, and gently season each side with salt. Maybe an 1/8 teaspoon per eggplant. Let them sit for 30 minutes to help draw out some moisture.
- Next, pat the eggplant dry on both sides with paper towels. Then, place them on kitchen towels or paper towels and cover them with kitchen or paper towels. Add the sheet trays on top of them and then add some weight. You could use jars of tomatoes, cast iron skillets, etc. The goal is to help squeeze out any last bit of moisture. Let them sit for 20 minutes.
- After this stage, simply place them back on the racks to airdry for 10 minutes. I know these stages seem a little much, but in order to get crispy eggplant, I’ve found this to be the best technique.
Prepare the breading:
- While the eggplant sit is when I prepare the breading. In a 9” cake tin or wide shallow bowl, add the flour and season with salt, and pepper, and mix to combine.
- In a separate 9” cake tin or wide shallow bowl, whisk the eggs with a seasoning of salt and pepper until combined.
- Next, in another 9” cake tin or wide shallow bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, ½ cup of Parmigiano, garlic granules, onion granules, dried parsley, lemon zest, and a seasoning of salt and pepper. Taste it, should be delicious.
- Once the eggplant is done drying out bread them. Taking 1 slice at a time, coat completely in the flour. Knock of any excess then coat it in the egg wash until it’s covered on all sides. Drain off any excess and dredge it in the breadcrumbs. Make sure to press down and pack the crumbs in. Repeat the process until they’re all done. Set them to the side on a rack and let sit for 10 minutes.
- During this time is when you should also prepare or have your tomato pomodoro sauce on hand.
Cooking:
- Preheat the oven to 375°.
- In a large non-stick frying pan add in enough cooking oil until there is about a half inch in the bottom of it. Heat it until it is roughly 375° over medium heat.
- Add 3 to 4 eggplant at a time to hot oil. The temp of it will drop, which is ok and why I started at 375°. Cool for about 90 seconds or so per side or until golden brown. Once they’ve been cooked on both sides, set them to the side to drain on paper towels. Repeat the process until all the eggplant are fried.
- In a deep 12×8 or shallow 13×9 casserole dish, add in about a scant 1 cup of pomodoro sauce. Lay in 3 eggplant in the 12×8 or 4 in the 13×9 casserole dish.
- Add on several slices of the mozzarella, sprinkle on about a 1/3 cup of the parmigiano. Next, sprinkle on 6 to 8 of the basil leaves, then repeat the process with the pomodoro sauce. Repeat the process until all the ingredients used ending in just the eggplant. Top off with 1 cup of pomodoro sauce, the rest of the cheese slices about the remaining ½ cup of parmigiano.
- Bake in the oven on a middle rack at 375° for 40 minutes. Then broil on high for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove and rest it at room temperature for 20 minutes. Slice and serve with extra pomodoro sauce, parmigiano, basil, and lemon zest.
Eggplant Parmesan Recipe