Baked Eggplant Parmesan
Baked Eggplant Parmesan - an absolutely delicious recipe for baked eggplant parmesan and perfect for late summer tomatoes!
Ingredients
- 2-3 eggplants washed
- kosher salt
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup water
- ⅔ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 cup parmesan cheese finely shredded (divided)
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground basil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 32 ounces mozzarella cheese sliced*
- 3 cups Easy Pasta Sauce sub store-bought marinara sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil roughly chopped (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 400℉. Cut 2-3 eggplants into 12 (½ inch thick) slices (remove skin if you desire).
- Sweat the Eggplant: Place eggplant slices on a large baking pan and sprinkle both sides lightly with kosher salt. Let sit 10-15 minutes allowing water to seep out (this will result in a less mushy eggplant after baking). Rinse and pat both sides dry with a clean paper towel.
- Prep Bowls: In a small bowl (big enough to fit an eggplant slice) combine 2 eggs and ¼ cup water; whisk. In another bowl (also big enough to fit an eggplant slice), combine ⅔ cup breadcrumbs, 0.5 cup parmesan cheese, 1 ½ teaspoons ground oregano, 1 ½ teaspoons ground basil and 1 teaspoon kosher salt; mix.
- Bread Eggplant: Take eggplant slices and, one at a time, dip in egg wash and then let excess run off, then set in bread crumb mixture and lightly cover both sides. Repeat for all eggplant slices and place on a sheet pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
- Bake Eggplant: Move to the oven to bake for 15-20 minutes, remove, and flip over; bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until they start to turn golden brown. Remove from oven.
- Layer: Take a baking pan or a deep cookie sheet, use the pasta sauce to make 6 circles of sauce a little bigger than the diameter of the eggplant slices, not a lot just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Place an eggplant slice on top of each sauce-circle. Then add two small slices of mozzarella cheese on top of each slice and top with pasta sauce. Then place the other four eggplant slices on top and repeat with mozzarella and sauce. Add additional 0.5 cup parmesan cheese on top (optional) and sprinkle each stack with a pinch of kosher salt.
- Bake: Increase oven temp to 425℉ and bake for approx. 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling.
- Serve: Let cool slightly, but serve right away and garnish with fresh basil (or oregano).
Notes
- Breadcrumbs: feel free to use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- Mozzarella Cheese: I used 2 of the pre-sliced 16oz mozzarella packages and use 4 slices per stack - you can reduce that in half if you don't want as much cheese in which case you should be good with one 16oz package.
- Marinara Sauce: I love this homemade marinara sauce, but it does take some time to prepare - this Easy Pasta Sauce is better if you want a homemade sauce but don't have a lot of time.
- Storage: I wouldn't recommend storing this for more than a day or so, otherwise it tends to get real soggy. Store overnight in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Calories: 657kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 185mg | Sodium: 2296mg | Potassium: 902mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1843IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 1037mg | Iron: 4mg
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