Eggplant Parmigiana with Pesto

An eggplant parmesan casserole with pesto in a casserole baking dish.

4.99 from 50 votes

This Eggplant Parmesan Casserole recipe is a twist on a classic eggplant parmesan dish. It layers pesto coated eggplant slices with a mixture of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and a pasta sauce, such as marinara.

Prep Time30

Cook Time2 15

Total Time2 45

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Eggplant Parmesan Casserole

Servings:

Calories: 500kcal

Author: Susan Pridmore

Equipment

Chef's knife
Whisk
Griddle or large skillet
9" X 13" baking dish

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds globe eggplant or Italian eggplant
1 tablespoon olive oil
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 large eggs
6 tablespoons Basil Pesto
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups shredded fresh mozzarella cheese, divided
24 ounces your favorite pasta sauce or make your own

Instructions

Slice the eggplant into ½-inch rounds. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat, and lightly oil.
Arrange three bowls on a work surface. A shallow bowl works best. Stir together the flour, salt and pepper in the first bowl. Whisk the eggs together with the pesto in the second bowl. Combine half of the Parmesan cheese, all of the breadcrumbs and oregano in the third bowl.
Mix the remaining Parmesan cheese with the mozzarella cheese.
Dip an eggplant slice into the flour, followed by the egg mixture, and finally the cheese.
Transfer it to the hot griddle, and repeat with each slice of eggplant. Arrange as many slices as you can fit on the griddle or skillet. I can fit around 8 slices of various sizes on my griddle. Cook for 5 minutes per side, until the eggplant surfaces are golden brown.
Set them aside on a plate, and repeat with the remaining eggplant slices. For a 9" X 13" baking dish, I typically use 16 slices.
Make Ahead Tip: At this point, the eggplant parmesan carefully stacked in ziplock baggies or an airtight container. Tuck into the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
Spread a thin layer of pasta sauce on the bottom of a 9" X 13" or slightly smaller baking dish. Next, arrange a layer of the eggplant slices and sprinkle with ⅓ of the cheeses.
Pour half of the remaining tomato sauce over the top of the eggplant and cheese, and layer the remaining eggplant slices on top. Spread half of the remaining cheese and all of the remaining tomato sauce over the top layer of eggplant slices.
Bake for 30 minutes. Add the remaining cheese over the top and bake another 15 minutes.
Cool slightly before serving.

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