Easy Eggplant Parmesan

We love this easy eggplant parmesan recipe with roasted eggplant slices, tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, mozzarella, and a crunchy bread crumb topping. No salting or breading required. This eggplant parm is easy to make and is perfect for making in advance.

Watch the Video

Eggplant Parmesan Video

We Love This Lighter, Easier Eggplant Parmesan

In more traditional eggplant parmesan, breaded and fried eggplant is layered with tomato sauce and cheese, and then baked until bubbly. This is very similar to traditional chicken parmesan. In our slightly modified version, we skip breading the eggplant and roast it instead.

Then the perfectly cooked eggplant is layered with parmesan, mozzarella, tomato sauce, and finished with crunchy breadcrumbs. This easier eggplant parmesan tastes just as delicious, but there’s no messy breading to contend with and it’s a little lighter on the calories.

Easy Baked Eggplant Parmesan

We aren’t against the more authentic way to make eggplant parm, but this method is the one we go to the most. It’s quicker, easier, tastes amazing, and requires less clean up. Let me walk you through how we make it!

Here are more eggplant recipes we love: Our family’s favorite roasted eggplant and this amazing roasted eggplant dip (baba ganoush)

Eggplant Parmesan Recipe Ingredients

As I mentioned above, this isn’t exactly authentic, but all the traditional elements are there. Here’s what you’ll need for the recipe:

Eggplant slices — Instead of salting, breading and frying, we roast thick slices of eggplant in a hot oven until golden brown and perfectly cooked in the middle. We love roasting eggplant since it develops so much flavor.

Tomato sauce — You can use store-bought tomato sauce, a homemade marinara sauce or try our tomato and pepper sauce shown in the video and the recipe below. If you do make our homemade sauce, it won’t add too much extra time, in fact, it can be made in the time it takes to roast the eggplant.

Cheese — Parmesan is a must and I prefer the taste of Parmigiano Reggiano that I’ve grated myself. We also add some mozzarella to the casserole before baking, but this is optional. If you are dairy-free or vegan, try a sprinkling of nutritional yeast between the layers instead.

Bread crumbs — Instead of breading the eggplant, we scatter breadcrumbs over the top of the casserole dish before baking. As the eggplant parmesan bakes in the oven, the breadcrumbs crisp up and turn golden. Store-bought breadcrumbs work well for this, but if you want to add a bit more texture and flavor, try these homemade bread crumbs instead. For gluten-free or eggplant without bread crumbs, simply leave them off.

How to Make Baked Eggplant Parmesan

The video above walks you through every step of the recipe. It’s not a difficult recipe to make and it tastes incredible in the end. Here are a few photos to show you some of the main steps:

First, roast slices of eggplant. It’s incredibly simple to do and ensures a deeply flavorful, creamy slice of eggplant when it’s done. Some recipes for eggplant parm require you to salt and set aside your eggplant slices for 30 minutes or more before breading and frying, but since we are roasting our eggplant, this step isn’t necessary. (A major time savor!)

I like using a hot oven, somewhere between 400 degrees and 450 degrees Fahrenheit. If your oven tends to run hot, stick to the lower end of the range so that you don’t burn the eggplant slices. When cut into 1/2-inch slices, the eggplant should take 35 to 45 minutes to roast with one flip in the middle. These can also be roasted in advance. Roasted eggplant slices should be kept in an airtight container and stored in the fridge. You might also enjoy our family’s favorite recipe for roasted eggplant.

Roasted eggplant slices

For the sauce, you can use store-bought or homemade. When I have access to fresh tomatoes and bell peppers, I love the flavor of this ultra simple sauce.

Basically, throw sliced garlic, chopped tomato and peppers into a pan with some salt, and then simmer until they release their juices and the liquid in the pan has cooked down. Once this happens (after 25 minutes or so), transfer everything to a food processor or blender and blend with some olive oil and fresh basil. The sauce tastes fresh and works beautifully with the roasted eggplant.

Just like the roasted eggplant slices, this sauce can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator or freezer until you are ready to use it. This easy red pasta sauce would also be delicious in this recipe.

Homemade tomato sauce for eggplant parmesan

Assembling Eggplant Parmesan

Assembling is simple and can be done in less than five minutes. Here’s how we do it:

  1. Spread a third of the sauce over the bottom of a 13-inch by 9-inch (or use another shaped baking dish that’s on the larger side).
  2. Layer half of the roasted eggplant slices on top of the sauce.
  3. Scatter with a third of the parmesan and half of the mozzarella cheese.
  4. Drizzle another third of the sauce — watch the video for how we do it. I like to just drizzle the sauce in places and not completely cover the sliced eggplant.
  5. Layer the remaining eggplant slices, another third of the parmsan and the remaining mozzarella cheese.
  6. Drizzle the top with the rest of the sauce.
  7. Finish by scattering the remaining parmesan cheese on top as well as some bread crumbs.

When assembled, bake until the sauce and cheese are bubbly. Serve with pasta, veggies, or make eggplant parmesan sandwiches!

Serving baked eggplant parmesan

Make Ahead Tips

Making and assembling a day in advance — All of the eggplant parmesan components, with the exception of the bread crumbs, can be assembled the day before you plan to bake it. Tightly wrap the casserole dish and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to bake it, unwrap the dish, sprinkle over the bread crumbs and bake until the sauce and cheese are bubbly.

Making a few days in advance — Roasted eggplant slices and the homemade sauce can both be made 3 to 4 days in advance. Store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge. (If you make your own bread crumbs, they can also be made in advance. See our bread crumbs recipe for our tips.)

Making more than a few days in advance — Roasted eggplant slices freeze well. Place a piece of wax paper or parchment paper between the slices and store in an airtight bag or container. The eggplant will last in the freezer for 3 to 4 months. Homemade tomato sauce also freezes well. Let it cool completely, and then place into freezer-safe containers. The sauce will last in the freezer for 3 to 4 months.

More Recipes You Will Love

Eggplant Parmesan

Our Favorite Eggplant Parmesan

  • PREP
  • COOK
  • TOTAL

Our favorite way to make eggplant parmesan with roasted eggplant slices, tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, mozzarella, and a crunchy bread crumb topping. Detailed tips for making in advance are provided in the article above.

A large casserole dish is best for this (a 13-inch by 9-inch dish or similar is ideal).

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Watch Us Make the Recipe

You Will Need

Eggplant Parmesan

3 pounds eggplant, 3 to 4 small

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

3 cups marinara sauce or homemade red pepper tomato sauce, recipe below

1 ounce finely grated parmesan, about 1 cup

3 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated or sliced

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs, see our recipe for homemade bread crumbs

Fresh basil for top, chopped

Fresh Tomato Pepper Sauce (Optional)

2 medium red bell peppers, chopped, 1 to 1 ½ cups

1 pound fresh tomatoes, chopped, about 2 cups or 2 large tomatoes

4 medium garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup fresh basil

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

  • Prepare Eggplant
  • 1Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

    2Slice eggplants into 1/2-inch thick rounds and place, in one layer, onto baking sheets. Drizzle or brush eggplant slices with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Flip the slices and repeat on the other side. Roast the eggplant until they start to brown in spots, 15 to 20 minutes. Flip the slices, and then bake another 15 minutes until nicely browned and soft in the middle.

    3While the eggplant roasts, prepare other ingredients (shred cheese, prepare bread crumbs, make or measure out tomato sauce). If you plan to use the red pepper tomato sauce, you will have enough time to make it while the eggplant roasts.

  • Make Tomato Sauce (Optional)
  • 1Add chopped red peppers, tomatoes, sliced garlic, 1/2 cup water, and the salt to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, and then reduce the heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes. Keep an eye on the pot and adjust the heat as necessary to keep the mixture simmering. If the pot becomes too dry and the peppers and tomatoes begin to stick to the bottom of the pot, add a little more water.

    2When the peppers and tomatoes look broken down, tender and almost all of the liquid has reduced, give everything a good stir and transfer to a blender or bowl of a food processor. Before blending, add the olive oil, basil and a few grinds of pepper. Blend until the sauce is almost smooth. Taste, and adjust with additional salt or pepper.

    3Store sauce in an airtight container. It will last in the fridge 3 to 4 days and in the freezer for 3 to 4 months.

  • Assemble
  • 1Reduce oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread one third of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a large baking dish. Layer half of the roasted eggplant slices over the sauce, allowing some slices to overlap slightly. Sprinkle eggplant with one third of the parmesan cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese. Use a spoon to drizzle about half of the remaining sauce over the eggplant — it does not need to cover everything (watch the video to see us do this.)

    2Layer the remaining eggplant slices and sprinkle with half of the remaining parmesan cheese, all of the remaining mozzarella as well as the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs and finish with the leftover parmesan cheese.

    3Bake, uncovered in a 400 degree oven, until the sauce and cheese are bubbly, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes, sprinkle fresh basil on top, and then serve.

Adam and Joanne's Tips

  • For gluten-free or bread crumb free eggplant parmesan, leave off the bread crumbs.
  • For vegan eggplant parmesan, leave out the cheese and sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of nutritional yeast over each eggplant layer.
  • For healthier/lighter eggplant parmesan, use cooking spray instead of drizzling olive oil over the eggplant slices before roasting and reduce the cheese.
  • Recipe inspired by Alexandra’s Kitchen.
  • Nutrition Facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values. Calculations include the red pepper tomato sauce.

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste

Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1/8 of the dish / Calories 311 / Total Fat 12.7g / Saturated Fat 2.3g / Cholesterol 4.5mg / Sodium 498.3mg / Carbohydrate 42g / Dietary Fiber 8.4g / Total Sugars 10g / Protein 12.5g
AUTHOR:  Adam and Joanne Gallagher
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16 comments… Leave a Review
  • Melissa August 2, 2023, 6:50 pm

    The recipe is a keeper. Both my husband and I enjoyed it along side garlic mashed potatoes. It is really good and I enjoy eating the dish, but it does not satisfy my craving for Eggplant Parmesan.

    Reply
  • Kara November 30, 2021, 7:54 pm

    This was amazing. Will definitely make this again!!!

    Reply
  • Cyrina October 22, 2021, 8:08 pm

    How do you make bread crumbs out of sliced bread? In love with your recipes. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  • Danielle C. February 17, 2021, 3:28 pm

    This was an easy, delicious version of eggplant parm. I used my own favorite marinara recipe with it, but it was fantastic! My husband, who is not a fan of this dish normally, even ate it and said it was really good. Thank you for this lighter, easier, version!

    Reply
  • Catherine Valby January 3, 2021, 9:28 pm

    I tried this eggplant recipe and I and my family loved it. I get eggplant parmigiana in restaurants fairly often, so I know my eggplant. Too often the eggplant is not tender enough and the breading just gets soggy in the baking. It was easier to roast the eggplant slices than to fry them like traditional eggplant parmigiana. Great idea! The flavor of your sauce was good as well. I didn’t have enough fresh basil to make a cup, so had to improvise at the end by adding 1 tablespoon of pesto to get more flavor. My blender wasn’t working so I did my best to mash everything but still thought it was good a little chunky. I also liked the bread crumbs on top. I served it with a hamburger patty and brown rice for a simple but delicious meal.

    Reply
  • Gina November 30, 2020, 6:07 pm

    Very tasty and healthy since the eggplant was baked. I forgot to buy mozzarella cheese so I had to use Swiss cheese and it still was delicious!

    Reply
  • Hannah October 28, 2020, 12:51 am

    This recipe was simple yet amazing! The video was super helpful. Instead of breadcrumbs, I used finely chopped walnuts from a food processor. Will definitely make again!

    Reply
  • Celine October 22, 2020, 9:23 pm

    I love Italian food but hate spending hours over a grueling recipe. This recipe was the solution: providing gourmet taste without the manual labor. I highly recommend this recipe and am looking forward to making it for friends to impress them 😉

    Reply
  • Linda October 9, 2020, 1:56 am

    We totally enjoyed this Eggplant Parmesan casserole tonight. I used my own tomato sauce recipe made from home grown SAN Marzano tomatoes. This recipe was so much easier than any other eggplant parm recipe I have used in the past….and so delicious. I added a serving of rotini which accompanied the casserole beautifully. It’s definitely a keeper recipe. Thanks for the preparation tips and the Instructional video.

    Reply
  • Anne Steele October 4, 2020, 9:31 am

    I had a go of your recipe today. I had to adapt the amounts as it was just for me. It was lovely! I made the tomato and red pepper sauce and my own breadcrumbs too. I will definitely do this again. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Joanne January 2, 2021, 1:10 pm

      Hi Anne! We are thrilled you enjoyed the recipe and were able to adapt it to your needs. Happy cooking!

      Reply
  • James Sisco September 26, 2020, 7:40 pm

    Hi Folks,I just finished making and eating your Favorite Eggplant Parmesan recipe. Fantastic! I had a few variations: I used two plants and had only enough for one layer of eggplant (no problem); for the sauce I used a jar of prepared sauce and added pealed tomatoes (which I crushed in the pot); added a liberal amount of prepared minced garlic; and thinly sliced hand-full of basil to the sauce. I used panko breadcrumbs on top. I was so pleased how well it turned out! I made it in a 8 X 13 baking dish and have it all to myself as my wife cares not for eggplant. I’ll freeze several helpings to enjoy for later. Thank you, James S

    Reply
  • Jenna September 26, 2020, 6:34 pm

    Love this version! much like what I had in Greece with more of a marinara than sauce

    Reply
  • James Sisco September 26, 2020, 3:17 pm

    Greetings, This Egg Plant Recipe looks great and simple. I have the ingredients and am going to make it now! I will let you know how it turned out. And, thank you for including the video. Sincerely,James

    Reply
  • Ray Riordan September 26, 2020, 10:40 am

    You can never have enough fresh ideas and new recipes. Looking forward to future posts. Buon Appetit.

    Reply

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