This summer Eggplant Parmesan (aka Eggplant Parmigiana) takes eggplant slices coated in pesto, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese, and layers them lasagna-style with a fabulous roasted tomato - red pepper sauce you'll want to use for everything.
If you want to simplify this recipe, use your favorite jarred pasta sauce. Or make the pasta sauce ahead of time.
Updated August 21, 2022
Eggplant hasn't always been in my grocery cart. Frankly, it was a mystery to me how it ever got popular. I did try it once. A microscopic piece you could hardly see, and pronounced myself an eggplant-hater.
Or at least an eggplant-avoider.
But times change. For me the turning point came in culinary school with a Roasted Eggplant Tomato Soup. It was instant love, and I started making it at home every week.
Then I went to Italy and had a classic Sicilian pasta dish with eggplant, tomatoes and capers. When I came home, I started making THAT dish every week.
🍆 Eggplant Love
But it was when I traveled to upstate New York for a writing retreat with Molly O'Neill that I formed a lasting bond with eggplant.
It happened one night when I had an Eggplant Parmesan that was layered in a fresh basil pesto, cheeses, and a tomato sauce. It was the only vegetarian main dish on the menu, and I wasn't excited about it at all.
But when it arrived and I dug in, I was the envy of the entire table. And I ate every bite, and would have licked the plate if I could have.
And that was it. Eggplant and I were BFFs.
Jump to:
- 🍆 Eggplant Love
- 🍆 What is Eggplant Parmesan?
- ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- 🧅 Ingredients for Eggplant Parmesan
- 📝 Instructions
- ❓Whether to Salt and Drain Eggplant
- ⏰ Tips to Simplify and Save Time
- 👩🍳 Preparation Tips
- 💡Ideas for Possible Variations
- 📇 More Eggplant Dishes You Might Like
- Eggplant Parmigiana with Pesto (Recipe)
- 🌱 Sign up for my emails, and get my 5 tips for easy vegetarian meals!
🍆 What is Eggplant Parmesan?
I am an Italophile, meaning I have a deep appreciation for everything Italian. Its people, history, culture and food. And I love learning about the roots of food that most of us associate with Italy.
Eggplant Parmesan layers fried slices of breaded eggplant with cheese and a marinara sauce. It's then baked as a casserole, and is considered comfort food in Italy.
But where did it Eggplant Parmesan begin?
Naples may have contributed the mozzarella ingredient that's now a standard in this dish.
Parma, naturally lays claim because of the Parmesan cheese. Although the word Parmesan in the recipe title may refer to an Italian word translated as "shutters", for the layered appearance of this dish.
And Sicily lays claim to this dish since the eggplant likely found its way to Italy via Sicily with Arabs bringing foods from India. And if you think about it, Eggplant Parmesan is very similar to Moussaka, a popular Turkish eggplant dish.
Use this link for more information on the roots of the Eggplant Parmesan we know today.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- It's a hearty one-dish vegetarian dinner.
- Perfect way to make eggplant lovers out of eggplant haters.
- There are shortcuts to make the preparation go faster (see below).
- Great casserole when cooking for a crowd.
🧅 Ingredients for Eggplant Parmesan
- Homemade Tomato Sauce - Nothing beats a homemade tomato sauce, and I have several on this blog. The recipe card below details one of my favorites. Or you can purchase your favorite jarred marinara sauce. If do this, I highly recommend Rao Marinara Sauce.
- Eggplant - I recommend smaller eggplant as they tend to be less bitter.
- Eggs - this is just to get the pesto, cheese and breadcrumbs to stick to the eggplant.
- Basil Pesto - it only takes a few minutes to make your own, or pick some up at the grocery.
- Flours - I use a combination of all-purpose and corn flours.
- Cheeses - I use a combination of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
- Panko bread crumbs - to give the eggplant slices a little crunch.
- Herbs and spices - I use dried oregano, salt and pepper.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.
📝 Instructions
Step 1
Make the roasted tomato sauce. You can make this ahead of time, or just in time to make this casserole. Or if you're pressed for time, purchase a bottle of your favorite marinara.
Step 2
Coat the slices of eggplant. Arrange 3 bowls on a work surface. Whisk together the eggs and pesto in the first bowl. Combine the flours, salt and pepper in the second bowl. And toss together the cheeses and breadcrumbs in the third. Slice the eggplant, and dip each slice in the first, second and then third bowl.
Step 3
Crisp the breaded eggplant slices. Cook the eggplant slices on a very lightly oiled griddle or pan.
Step 4
Layer the casserole and bake. Arrange the breaded eggplant slices in a baking dish with the roasted tomato sauce and cheeses. Bake.
Step 5
Serve. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
❓Whether to Salt and Drain Eggplant
In many dishes, eggplant is best salted and drained for a couple of hours to remove some liquid and temper its bitterness. I've made this casserole both ways, and it didn't make any difference at all. This is probably due to 2 reasons: (1) there are a lot of flavors going on in this dish to balance out any bitterness; and (2) the breading seals in the moisture. However, if you're interested in how to salt and drain eggplant, this is a good post to review.
Baked Eggplant Parmesan Casserole is a perfect dish to take advantage of fresh produce from your local farmer's market. Eggplant, tomatoes, basil are all at peak flavors right now, and easily found. Best of all, you can make all the components in advance, and package them up into the refrigerator. Then just assemble and slide it into the oven when you're ready for dinner, and serve it with garlic bread and a big salad.
Even Carnivorous Maximus eats this without any meat in sight, and doesn't miss it. (Gasp.)
⏰ Tips to Simplify and Save Time
- Purchase your favorite marinara pasta sauce instead of making the one in this recipe from scratch.
- If you make the tomato sauce from scratch, you can make it up to a week ahead and store in the refrigerator in jars. Or you can make this Roasted Tomato Sauce, which is easier. I make big batches of both of these sauces with peak season tomatoes to take me through the winter.
- Use your favorite ready-made pesto at your local market.
- Eliminate the corn flour, but increase the all-purpose flour by the same amount.
- Buy pre-grated cheeses.
👩🍳 Preparation Tips
Use a combination of Beefsteak and Roma tomatoes when making the sauce, particularly when tomatoes are at their best. The Roma tomatoes add a rich, meaty texture to the juicy Beefsteak variety.
Stack the eggplant slices on top of each other when assembling this lasagna-style casserole. This makes it easier to serve and creates natural serving sizes for a crowd.
💡Ideas for Possible Variations
Fontina cheese makes a fabulous substitute for mozzarella cheese if you have some on hand. But don't feel like you need to grate it up. I've laid thin sheets of it in the layers and it's worked beautifully!
📇 More Eggplant Dishes You Might Like
Roasted Eggplant Soup with Tomatoes
Charred Eggplant and Chickpea Stew
Sicilian Fusilli with Eggplant, Tomatoes and Capers
Want more vegetarian and vegan dish ideas? I can help you. I have three newsletters for different topics: 1) Vegetarian Recipes, 2) Vegetarian Meal Plans, and 3) Vegetarian Tips for helping you to move to a more vegetarian diet. Choose which newsletters are most relevant to your lifestyle and you'll also get my 5 SECRETS TO FUSS-FREE VEGETARIAN DINNERS.
Eggplant Parmigiana with Pesto (Recipe)
Ingredients
Chunky Roasted Tomato Sauce
- 3 pounds Beefsteak tomatoes
- 1 pound Roma tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 2 sweet red bell peppers, sliced into large pieces
- ¼ cup pitted kalamata olives
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Eggplant Pesto Parmesan
- 1 ½ eggplant about 1 pound each
- 3 large eggs
- 6 tablespoons Basil Pesto
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornflour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
Chunky Roasted Tomato Sauce
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the tomatoes in half and arrange on the baking sheet, cut side facing up. Drizzle with olive oil, and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for one hour.
- Toss the garlic cloves in olive oil and add to the baking sheet. Add the red pepper slices. Roast for another 30 minutes.
- Cool, slip the peels from the tomatoes and garlic, and coarsely chop the peppers. Combine with the remaining sauce ingredients in a medium bowl, crushing the roasted tomatoes with your hands.
Eggplant Pesto Parmesan
- Arrange three small bowls on a work space and slice the eggplant into ½-inch rounds. Whisk the eggs together with the pesto in the first bowl. Stir together the flours, salt and pepper in the second bowl. Combine half of the cheeses, breadcrumbs and oregano in the third.
- Heat a griddle over medium heat, and lightly oil the pan.
- Dip an eggplant slice into the flour, followed by the egg-pesto mixture, and finally the cheeses. Place on the griddle. Repeat with enough eggplant to fill the griddle (I can fit around 8 slices of various sizes on mine). Cook for 5 minutes per side, until the eggplant surfaces are lightly browned. Stack and repeat with the remaining eggplant. For a 8 ½" X 12" baking pan, I typically use 16 slices.
- Make Ahead Tip: At this point, the tomato sauce can be poured into a jar and the eggplant parmesan carefully stacked in ziplock baggies. Tuck into the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Arrange the eggplant, tomato sauce and remaining cheese in layers as in a lasagna, spreading a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of a 8 ½" X 12" or 9" X 13" baking pan. Next arrange a layer of eggplant parmesan slices and sprinkle with ⅓ of the remaining cheese. Repeat the order, starting with half of the remaining tomato sauce, a final layer of eggplant slices, half of the remaining cheese, and the remaining tomato sauce.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Add the remaining cheese on top and bake another 15 minutes.
- Cool slightly before serving.
apuginthekitchen
Delicious recipe Susan and I love your Farmers Market blogging group, we should do that here in NYC. Everything you said is so true, most of us have never met face to face but we know more about each others lives, families, tastes, etc,,.. than possibly people they have met. We are a close knit group and I truly love sharing and meeting (virtually) others of like mind.
Your eggplant parmigiano is wonderful. BTW, I am enjoying your hubby's blog also.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
You should definitely do this in NYC!! You have such a wonderful group and such active farmer's markets, it would be perfect!! And I'm so happy you're reading Myles' blog !!!! 🙂 Makes me very, very happy.
Rebecca
Oh. My. Just bought tomatoes for canning today and am getting ready for my Moussaka extravaganza. Think I may have to add this one in, too! Will report on how it tastes with that wonderful farmers' market pesto. 🙂
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Yes, yes, yes!! I'd love to hear about your Moussaka extravaganza too 🙂 All our tomatoes are still green, or just in the flowering stage in our back yard. But in another month, I'll be canning tomatoes too!!
Jane, The Heritage Cook
Oh Susan, you are talking The Artist's language with this dish. He is tugging on my arm begging me to make it for him, LOL! This is a total winner and absolutely beautiful!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thank you so much Jane!!! Even Carnivorous Maximus really liked it!!
Choc Chip Uru
You are making me rethink any diet I have ever taken, this cheesy goodness of a casserole looks absolutely delicious! 😀
I'll keep telling myself that the eggplant will keep me healthy!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Eggplant definitely makes this healthy. And actually I'm glad you mentioned this. I need to insert the fat, carbs, calories, etc in the recipe. I'm trying to do that now, and keep forgetting when I'm in the final rush to get a post scheduled 🙂
Erika
Uh YUM. I love so much about this post.
1) Bay Area farmer's market potluck group sounds like SO MUCH FUN!!! I would probably eat wayyyy more than my fair share if you brought this to a potluck where I was present 😉
2) These photos are gorgeous--they look straight out of CookingLight or something to me!
3) if your husband ate this happily, that gives me so much hope for getting Erik to love this--can't wait to try making it for him!
4) Do you have any suggestions for what to do with a load of fresh basil? You're one of the recipe creators I look up to, so thought I'd ask 🙂 I'm going to make pesto and probably bruschetta, but other than that, I'm racking my brain to think of really summery dishes that use basil!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Wish you were still here in the Bay Area - you would love this group!!! And thanks so much for your comment on the photos. You're someone I really look up to for photography!! So basil. Pesto is always good as you know. If you have a ton, you could make basil oil with it too. I love having herbed oils around for vinaigrettes in the summer. And it makes a great gift. You can also dry some for fresh dried basil. I have a heap of oregano and that's what I'm doing with it. Then I got some cute little jars and I'm giving it away to friends as a little gift when we get together for dinners.
Erika
Oh yes!! Basil oil sounds so great--thanks!! 🙂
The Wimpy Vegetarian
You're so welcome!! Enjoy!
Jennie Schacht
Looks great! I have a meat lover at home whom I'm quite certain would be perfectly satisfied by your meatless masterpiece!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Myles was surprisingly accommodating when I advised him there wouldn't be any meat for him when I served this for dinner last week. And he went back for seconds - which never happens with a vegetarian dish.
Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers
Oh my gosh your lasagna looks out of this world! It is just beautiful!! I love all of the flavors you have in the dish!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Jennifer!!
Beth (OMG! Yummy)
What a lovely recipe Susan. I adore eggplant parmesan and appreciate all of your tips and tricks such as making the sauce ahead of time. Those kind of suggestions make attacking this kind of dish so approachable for anyone who is time-challenged or experience-challenged.
Great to meet you through this virtual dinner party and look forward to a real meet-up sometime soon and our next online gathering as well.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Beth! So nice to meet you too - I hope we do this again, and have an opportunity to meet sometime!!
Maureen
I love eggplant and this casserole would suit me perfectly!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I've come to like eggplant later in life, but it's become a real favorite of mine now!
cheri
HI Susan, does this mean you are in San Francisco? love that place. Looks like you keeping pretty busy. Anyway this casserole looks delicious, very clever to add pesto sauce.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Yes, we live about 15 minutes outside SF. Close enough to get in pretty quickly, far enough away to be out of city chaos :-). Then we have a condo in Tahoe where we try to spend 1 week a month when we really want to escape.
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com
Susan, this is similar to the way I make eggplant parm, but the pesto and kalamata olives you use would definitely kick it up a notch! Will give it a try next time!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
The kalamata olives in particular kick it up for me!
Robin Gagnon
This looks so much better than the grilled eggplant I made last night for dinner.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Well there's all that cheese, after all 🙂 But grilled eggplant is so good in salads!!! I do a panzanella with grilled eggplant and fresh tomatoes and it's so, so good 🙂
The Wimpy Vegetarian
BTW - love your blog! I just went over to visit, and tried to leave a comment on your watercolor smoothie. I totally want to make it!!! By tap influence wouldn't let me post the comment. I couldn't figure out how to get it through them. Sorry!!
mjskitchen
Thank you for reposting this. We are growing eggplant this year and Eggplant Parmigiana is one of the meals I plan to make. Love you recipe! Growing big hearty tomato, I can use them as well. YAY!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I wish so much we could have a garden like yours here in the mountains. We have so many wild animals, I'm not sure we could ever protect it. I will live vicariously through you!!
Lisa
This was fantastic and so comforting and authentic Italian. I'm a meat eater trying to eat healthier and this recipe is so delicious. A few things... it is a lot of work but worth it. I used larger eggplants from my garden and it worked really well. To balance the potential bitterness of the larger eggplants, i added just a rounded teaspoon of sugar to the sauce. I ran out of the breadcrumb and cheese mixture during prep and so needed to make more of it. Next time I will just make more to start with. I made fresh pesto which was so good but couldn't really taste it in the final product. But it doesn't matter because this dish is so tasty and im sure the pesto has something to do with the awesome flavor. Thats it! maybe it will be less work after i make it again and know what to expect. Thank you!
Lisa Szymanski
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm so happy you liked it so much! And yes, it's a bit of trouble. In fact I just added this afternoon some ideas for shortcuts under a new section I'm adding to many of my recipes - How to Simplify and Save Time! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your own tips!! And I'll make a note of the amounts of dipping stuff for the eggplant 🙂