Eggplant Parmesan

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Got eggplant? 
Eggplants are in season!  

Eggplant might be plentiful in your garden or your CSA box right now! What do you do with all that eggplant? One of my favorite things to do it to marinate it with squash, zucchini, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes and roast it in the oven at a high temperature. YUM! Last summer I came across this recipe for Eggplant Parmesan. Unlike traditional EP, this version does not require you to bread and fry the eggplant. 
{recipe below}

Start by trimming the ends of the eggplant. 

Cut eggplant into 1-inch slices.

Eggplant retains a lot of water which can cause your casserole to be soggy. Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and place in a colander for thirty minutes to allow some of the liquid to sweat out. Place in a single on a paper towel, cover with another paper towel and gently press to remove additional liquid.
Cover a baking sheet with olive oil.
Place eggplant in a single layer on baking sheet and brush oil from the pan over the top. Sprinkle with pepper. 
Bake in a 400* oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden-brown.

In the meantime, mix ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella cheese in a bowl. Add egg and fresh basil.

Cover bottom of the pan with sauce. 

Lay a single layer of eggplant on top of sauce, dollop with cheese mixture, repeat layers and finish with sauce. 

Cover with shredded mozzarella cheese.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly and browned.

Serve with extra sauce over the pasta of your choice. 
  • 2-3 eggplants, cut into 1-inch slices
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/ 4 tsp pepper
  • 8 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 4 cups pasta sauce

  1. Preheat oven to 400*. Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant slices with salt. Place slices in a colander to sweat out liquid of the eggplant. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. Lay in a single layer on a paper towel and cover with another paper towel. Press gently to remove additional water.
  2. Drizzle baking sheet with olive oil. lay eggplant in a single layer on pan, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden-brown.
  3. In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Mix in egg and basil.
  4. In a 9×13 inch baking dish, evenly spread 1 1/2 cups of spaghetti sauce. Arrange a single layer of eggplant slices on top of the sauce. Top the eggplant with 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Repeat layering process until all the eggplant and cheese mixture is used. Pour remaining sauce on top of layers, and sprinkle with remaining Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
  5. Bake 30 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until sauce is bubbly and cheese is browned.

I adapted this recipe from one I found at Allrecipes.com. You can find the original here.

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11 thoughts on “Eggplant Parmesan”

  1. I love love love EGG PARM! Like one of my favorite meals on earth. I have 2 recipes but they are a little different from your version. I will have to test yours out for sure!

    Reply ↓

  9. Making this for dinner tonight! I have been salivating for eggplant parm ever since I saw this last week. I have been talking about it so much that even my mom and best friend are having it tonight as well!!

    xoxo

    Jenn @ Social Salutations

    Reply ↓

  10. I just bought an eggplant yesterday to attempt this recipe – I was just going to wing it but this is much better = thanks

    Reply ↓

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