Baked Eggplant Parmesan
if you don't like eggplant... you do now!
I absolutely love eggplant parmesan, but I don’t love the process of breading and frying (so time-consuming and messy), and I also don’t love how I feel after I eat fried foods. So I tried this baked eggplant parmesan, and it is one of my favorite recipes of all time! I’ve made it for years, and even my non-eggplant-loving husband likes it!
If eggplant isn’t something you usually make at home, this recipe is a great way to introduce it to your family— baked eggplant is soft and gooey, and even the peel is easy to cut.
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The original recipe doesn’t call for pasta, an omission I’ve taken the liberty to correct. What is eggplant parmesan without pasta? This Sicilian throws up her hands in the air. I serve mine with bowtie, a favorite around here— but feel free to grab whatever pasta your family likes best.
Baked Eggplant Parmesan (adapted from this Wegman’s recipe)
Cook time = 1 hour (30 minutes active time)
Serves: 6-8
For Dietary Restrictions
Gluten free: use gluten-free pasta and gluten-free breadcrumbs
Dairy free: use vegan mozzarella cheese (can omit Parmigiano or use nutritional yeast)
Kids Can Help
Grate cheese, wash eggplant, assemble casserole, measure spices
Ingredients
1 lb Farfalle (bowtie) pasta
1 32 oz jar marinara or pomodoro sauce (I prefer Rao’s)
2 small or 1 large eggplant (about 3/4 lb total)
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup plain or Italian bread crumbs
4 oz Parmigiano Reggiano (for 1 cup grated)
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried basil
½ tsp salt + 1 Tbsp for cooking the pasta
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 oz (2 cups) shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
Directions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Step 2
Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with a bit of olive oil, then pour in half of the marinara sauce (about 2 cups) and spread evenly around the bottom of the pan.
Step 3
Wash the eggplant and slice into ½” rounds, discarding the tops and bottoms; grate the Parmigiano Reggiano.
Step 4
Layer the eggplant over the sauce, overlapping as necessary to fit. Drizzle the eggplant with the olive oil, then top with the ¼ of breadcrumbs and ½ cup of the grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of dried oregano and basil, ½ tsp of salt, and a few cranks of fresh black pepper on top, then add a final layer of the remaining sauce and Parmigiano Reggiano.
Step 5
Cover the pan with foil and bake for about 40 minutes, until the biggest pieces of eggplant are fork-tender.
Step 6
Remove the eggplant from the oven and take off the foil, then top with the mozzarella cheese. Return the pan to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes until the mozzarella melts, then remove and allow to rest while you cook the pasta.
Step 7
Cook the pasta with 1 Tbsp of salt until al dente. Drain and serve immediately with the eggplant and a little sauce from the pan.
