Baked Eggplant Parmesan

This Baked Eggplant Parmesan is layered with breaded eggplant, marinara, and melted cheese, and is easily made without too much mess or hassle!  It’s perfect as either a weekend meal prep, from which you could enjoy leftovers throughout the week, or as a guaranteed crowd-pleaser for potlucks and gatherings.

Eggplant Parm is one of my all-time favorite meals!  There are endless unique ways to prepare it.  Every restaurant and individual has their own twist.  Sometimes it’s fried layers of paper-thin eggplant, and other times thick breaded eggplant circles in a single layer.

This version is prepared layer-and-bake style, designed to make the process as easy and quick as possible with minimal ingredients yet lots of flavor!

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RECIPE NOTES:

Cooking The Breaded Eggplant: Prior to layering them into the final dish, I bake the breaded eggplant circles in the oven!  To ensure you have enough, pack 2 baking sheets in a single layer with the coated slices.  Feel free to halve the eggplant circles if this allows you to arrange them more easily!

Layering The 9 x 13 Dish: I layer the dish in the following order: 1) MARINARA 2) EGGPLANT CIRCLES 3) MARINARA 4) CHEESE MIX ~ Repeat this 3 times!  This allows the breaded baked eggplant circles to absorb plenty of sauce on both sides.  You will also naturally end on a cheese layer this way!  I don’t worry too much about being exact with the measurements as long as approximately enough of everything is reserved for each layer.  Again, feel free to halve the eggplant circles if it helps you to fit more each time.  I like to use a spoon to gently spread the marinara over the eggplant circles to cover them well!

INGREDIENT NOTES:

Eggplants: 2 medium-large eggplants provide enough slices for you to fill up the 2 baking sheets when preparing them in the breadcrumbs.

Eggs: Eggs act as the glue to attach the breadcrumbs to the eggplant slices.

Panko Bread Crumbs: Panko bread crumbs definitely have the best texture and taste for this recipe versus other varieties of bread crumbs!

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: The first half of the olive oil is drizzled on top of the breaded eggplant slices before baking them.  Once they’ve been flipped over at the halfway point, drizzle on the other half.  It will look minimal, but I promise it’s plenty!

Marinara Sauce: While of course you should feel free to use any marinara that you love/have on hand, I highly recommend this one!  It’s more tart (not sweet) which works perfectly for this dish.

Mozzarella Cheese Slices: I love to use mozzarella slices in this recipe because they’re so convenient to work with!  Simply take the 8 slices (which should equate to 8 oz total) and tear them into small-medium pieces.

Shredded Parmesan Cheese: Make it easy on yourself and grab some parmesan that has been pre-shredded to save time!

Kitchen Equipment:

• Knife & Cutting Board

• 1 Large + 1 Small/Medium Bowl

• 2 Baking Sheets

• Parchment Paper

• 9 x 13 Glass Baking Dish

• A Cooling Rack

Servings: 6-8 Medium

Ingredients:

• 2 Medium-Large Eggplants
• 4 Eggs
• 3 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs
• 4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Jars Marinara Sauce, 24.5 oz each
• 8 Slices Mozzarella Cheese, 8 oz total
• 1 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese, + optional extra for serving

Directions:

PREP

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside

Cut the eggplants into circles roughly ¼ – ½ inch thick and set them aside

Tear the mozzarella slices into small-medium pieces

Combine the mozzarella pieces with the shredded parmesan in a large bowl, then set it aside

COOK THE EGGPLANT

Preheat the oven to 375°

Crack the eggs into a small/medium bowl and lightly scramble them with a fork

Place the bread crumbs on a large plate (You can start with just some, adding more as you run low)

In assembly line style, dip each eggplant circle into the eggs, then into the breadcrumbs, placing each coated piece packed close in a single layer onto the 2 lined baking sheets until both are filled

Evenly drizzle half of the olive oil over the eggplant slices (1 Tbsp per sheet, 2 Tbsps total)

Bake for 15 minutes

Remove the sheets from the oven, flip the eggplant slices over, then drizzle them with the second half of the olive oil (the other 2 Tbsps).  Put them back into the oven for another 15 minutes (or until they’re turning golden)*

*I like to swap the placement of the baking sheets on the top/bottom rack of the oven at this halfway point for a more even bake!

Once the eggplant has been removed from the oven, turn the oven temperature up to 475°

LAYER & BAKE

In a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, layer in the following order 3 different times: Marinara Sauce, Eggplant Circles, Marinara Sauce, Cheese Mixture.  Don’t worry about being too precise!  See the Recipe Notes above for additional tips.

Put the baking dish into the oven and bake until the cheese melts and begins to bubble and turn golden brown (around 20 minutes)

Let cool slightly on a cooling rack for a couple of minutes as it will be extremely hot

Serve, topped with an optional garnish of extra parmesan

Enjoy!

[Leftovers can easily be stored in the refrigerator by simply covering up the baking dish to be airtight once cooled enough.]