Eggplant Parmesan Recipe (Fried or Baked)

This Eggplant Parmesan recipe has layers of crispy, breaded eggplant slices nestled in marinara sauce and melted mozzarella cheese with instructions for both fried and baked eggplant.

After years of correctly predicting my mom’s order when eating out for Italian, she’s thrown us all for a loop by skipping over her beloved Linguine and Clams and Shrimp Scampi Pasta. She has now declared Eggplant Parmesan is her Italian dish of choice. That is why I set out to make her a homemade version that rivals her favorite Olive Garden eggplant Parmesan—to which I say success is mine. Dipping sliced globe eggplant in flour, then egg, then a mixture of Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs with Parmesan cheese creates a crisp (but not heavy) coating for the eggplant rounds. You can bake or fry your eggplant (I prefer fried but share both methods below) to create luscious layers of creamy eggplant baked in my homemade marinara sauce with melty mozzarella cheese. Easy to prep with a simple assembly line style, this eggplant Parmesan is an Italian classic you’ll want to make time and time again.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Eggplant Parmesan is a fantastic vegetarian main that even meat eaters will love
• Either fried or baked eggplant works well in this recipe (and I give instructions for both)
• A simple dredging mixture of flour, egg, and breadcrumbs with Parmesan cheese creates a crisp but light coating that adds the perfect contrast in texture to the marinara and melted cheese

Eggplant Parmesan Ingredients List

• Eggplant—Choose globe eggplants that are firm with smooth, shiny skin.
• Kosher salt—Kosher salt’s larger crystals are best for salting the eggplant and won’t dissolve as quickly as regular table salt.
• Canned whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes—Use your fingers to crush the tomatoes into the purée. Or, use crushed San Marzano tomatoes if available.
• Extra virgin olive oil—Olive oil imparts a LOT of flavor in this recipe so choose the best extra virgin olive oil you can afford. I prefer olive oils with a clean taste that is clean, fruity, and bright.
• Garlic cloves—Smash the cloves before adding to the sauce so they easily release their flavorful oils.
• Tomato paste—Tomato paste is simply concentrated tomato and adds depth to this sauce. For less waste, I use it from the tube instead of the can.
• Fresh basil—Whole basil leaves melt into the sauce as it cooks. Save more for serving.
• All-purpose flour—Eggplant slices are first dipped in flour to create a dry layer the egg can cling to.
• Eggs—Egg-dipped slices are the glue for the breadcrumbs to stick to.
• Italian seasoned breadcrumbs—Choose a high-quality breadcrumb fresh from the store. Or, use panko breadcrumbs or make your own (just make sure they’re finely ground.)
• Grated Parmesan cheese—Always use freshly grated Parmesan cheese (finely ground works best here) and ditch the green canned stuff.
• Mozzarella cheese—Any soft melting white cheese works well. Try provolone or fontina instead.
• Neutral, flavorless oil for frying—I use canola oil or sunflower oil because of their high smoke point. Vegetable oil works too. Olive oil doesn’t have as high a smoke point and will impart more flavor to fried foods.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Eggplant Parmesan

• Prepare my homemade marinara sauce recipe to simmer while preparing the eggplant.
• Slice the eggplant in rounds just shy of ½-inch thick. This is important because if the eggplant is cut too thin it won’t hold up in the sauce. 24 slices of eggplant will fit a 9×13-inch baking dish.
• Salt the eggplant and place the rounds in even layers divided by paper towels on a sheet pan. Rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour. This step helps release some water content so the dish isn’t soggy and removes any bitter taste. Wipe the salt from the eggplant and pat dry.
  TIP : Instead of salting the eggplant, dry the slices out by microwaving them for 3-4 minutes. Or, submerge in salted water for 20 minutes, rinse, and pat dry.

• Dredge the eggplant in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese. I use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs but you can use panko or plain breadcrumbs and season yourself.
• Transfer the coated eggplant to a sheet pan fitted with a drying rack and allow it to sit for about 15 minutes so the breaded surface dries out.

How to Fry Eggplant for Eggplant Parmesan

• Heat ¼-inch oil in a large cast iron skillet or heavy bottom skillet over medium-high to 350°F.
• Working in batches, place the eggplant in a single layer in the skillet.
• Cook the eggplant for 3-4 minutes then flip and repeat on the other side.
• Transfer to a paper towel-lined sheet pan and repeat with the remaining eggplant.
• Add more oil to the skillet as needed.

Baked Eggplant for Eggplant Parmesan

• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Place the bread crumb-coated eggplant on a sheet pan sprayed with cooking spray or lightly brushed with oil.
• Spray the top side of the eggplant rounds with cooking spray or lightly brush with oil.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until the bottoms of the eggplants start to turn golden, flip, then cook for another 15 minutes.

How to Cook Eggplant without Breading

Cookbook author Mark Bittman prefers frying uncoated eggplant in his minimalist eggplant Parmesan recipe. Doing so infuses the oil into the eggplant slices. I tried his method and agree it’s a delicious way to enjoy the dish if you don’t want to go to the trouble of breading the eggplant.

I don’t recommend baking naked eggplant for eggplant parmesan. The result is too bland and the texture was off.

How to Layer Eggplant Parmesan

• Spread 1 cup marinara sauce over the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
• Layer 12 slices of fried eggplant, overlapping the slices if needed.
• Spread 1 cup of the sauce over the fried or baked eggplant (I like to divide that amount between each row, going down the center of the rounds so the edges of the eggplant aren’t sauced and stay crisped).
• Sprinkle with half of the shredded mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
• Add another layer of fried eggplant, top with the rest of the sauce, and the rest of the cheese.
• Cover the dish with foil and bake at 400°F for 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

FAQ and Recipe Tips

• Do you leave the skin on eggplant for eggplant Parmesan? I keep the skin on eggplant for this recipe. You can peel the eggplant exterior in strips if you prefer.
• Why do you salt eggplant before cooking? Salting the eggplant removes some water content so it doesn’t soak up as much oil, removes bitterness, and tenderizes the eggplant rounds.
• What is the best way to cut eggplant for eggplant Parmesan? In developing this recipe I found the best way to cut eggplant for eggplant Parm is slicing into rounds that are just shy of ½-inch thick. I found that to be the perfect thickness that holds up to the sauce and retains texture, without being too thick. This size also worked well for layering.
• A simple homemade sauce is a game-changer. My easy marinara sauce takes little effort and is perfumed with garlic and basil which makes this dish. However, a quality store-bought brand is fine.
• Use panko breadcrumbs or finely ground fresh breadcrumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese instead of seasoned Italian breadcrumbs.
• Don’t oversauce the eggplant or the dish could get soggy. Because the breading softens under the sauce, I like to keep some of the eggplant edges exposed to best enjoy the light and crispy coating.

Storage and Freezer Tips

• Eggplant Parmesan can be assembled and refrigerated 1-2 days before baking.
• Leftovers reheat well and can be refrigerated for 3-4 days.
• Eggplant parmesan can be frozen baked or unbaked for 2 months. Bake directly from frozen (do not thaw) covered with foil in a 400°F oven for 50-60 minutes.

What Goes with Eggplant Parmesan

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.