How to Make Eggplant Parmesan

Co-authored by Ollie George Cigliano

Last Updated: September 9, 2022 References

Eggplant Parmesan is a great dish that is easy to make. Similar to a lasagna, eggplant Parmesan is made in a casserole dish and baked in the oven with cheese and tomato sauce. You can choose to bake or fry your eggplant. You can also choose a traditional or modern recipe. Whichever way you decide, you will have a delicious meal.

Ingredients

Traditional Italian Eggplant Parmesan

2 medium eggplants
1/2 pound mortadella, sliced very thin
4 cups tomato sauce
1 pound fresh mozzarella, half cubed, half sliced
2 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 medium onion, chopped
salt and pepper
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups olive oil
4 eggs
1 pound flour
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon mint
1 cup water

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

2 large eggplants
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes
salt and black pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
3/4 cup flour
4 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more to oil pan
1 1/2 pound of fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4 inch slices

Fried Eggplant Parmesan with Ricotta

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for frying eggplant
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup black olives, chopped
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons capers, drained
2 28-ounce cans of tomatoes
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
5 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 medium eggplants
2 pounds whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan Romano
2 pounds shredded mozzarella cheese

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making Traditional Italian Eggplant Parmesan

1
Preheat the oven. Before you begin cooking your tomato sauce, you need to preheat your oven at 400 °F (204 °C).
2
Make the tomato sauce. In a saucepan, add 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the chopped onion. Cook the onion until it is translucent. Add all of the tomato sauce and stir. Cook on a low flame for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

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3
Make the pastella. The pastella is the coating for the eggplant. Beat 4 eggs in a bowl. Add flour, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, and mint. Mix well. Add the water and stir.
- If the pastella is too thick, you can add more water. The pastella is supposed to be about the consistency of pancake batter.
- If you add too much water, add more flour to thicken it back up.
4
Prepare the eggplant. Peel each of your eggplants. Cut them lengthwise in strips. They should be about ¹⁄₄ inch (0.6 cm) thick and add salt to remove excess water.
- Cutting it lengthwise instead of across will cover more surface area and leave less gaps in the final dish.
- Salt both sides of the eggplant to remove moisture before cooking. Place the salted eggplant on a sheet pan lined with a paper towel and cover it with more paper towels. Place a weighted pot on top and allow excess moisture to press out for about 1 hour. This can be done ahead of time, but is a crucial step.
5
Cook the eggplant. Dip the eggplant in the pastella. Coat both sides evenly. Make sure there isn't too much pastella on the pieces. You want them covered but not drenched. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Fry each pastella coated eggplant piece in the oil until golden brown. Remove them and place them on a paper towel. Blot with more paper towels to remove the excess oil.
6
Layer the ingredients. Cover the bottom of a large baking pan with a generous helping of the tomato sauce you set aside earlier. Layer the eggplant on top of the sauce, covering the whole pan. Cover each eggplant slice with more tomato sauce. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese on top of the eggplant. Also add 1/4 a pound of mozzarella cubes to this layer. Last, add a layer of mortadella on top of the cheese. Repeat until you run out of eggplant.
- Mortadella is an Italian deli meat that is similar to bologna. It has a sweeter flavor and is milder in flavor than bologna. Look for it in the deli section of your grocery store.
- This amount of eggplant is generally enough for three layers.
7
Finish the top. Add a generous amount of sauce on the top layer of eggplant. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese, which should be about 1 cup. Make the final layer along the top of the dish with the slices of mozzarella.
8
Bake the dish. Cook for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and golden brown. Remove from the oven and left rest for 10 minutes before serving.^{[1]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making Baked Eggplant Parmesan

1
Make the sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and juices to the pan. Increase the heat to bring it to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to simmer it for 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and add the minced basil.
2
Cut the eggplant. Wash and dry your eggplant. Cut into 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch round pieces.
3
Preheat the oven. Before you cook your eggplant, you need to preheat the oven to 425 °F (218 °C). Coat the bottom of two baking sheets with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Set aside.
4
Prepare eggplant dipping stations. Combine breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and herbs to taste in a shallow bowl or pan. Place the flour in a separate dish. Beat the eggs and place them in a third dish. The dishes should be arranged with the flour first, the egg in the middle, and the breadcrumb and cheese mixture last.
- Your dishes need to be shallow enough to dip the eggplant in.
5
Dip the eggplant. Dip a piece of eggplant into flour and cover both sides. Next, dip the eggplant slice into the egg and fully coat each side. Last, dip both sides into the breadcrumb and cheese mixture. Lay the coated slice onto one of the baking dishes. Repeat on all slices.
6
Bake the eggplant. Drizzle some olive oil on the tops of the eggplant slices. Place in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes. Turn over the slices halfway through. Cook until they are golden brown.
- Once you take the eggplant out of the oven, let them cool enough that you can pick them up.
- Reduce the temperature of the oven to 350 °F (177 °C).
7
Layer the ingredients. Spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish. Place a third of the eggplant along the bottom of the dish in an even layer. Lay half of the fresh mozzarella on top of the eggplant. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese on top.
- Layer another 1/3 of the eggplant on top of this. Spread 1 cup of the sauce on top of the eggplant. Layer the remaining mozzarella slices on top of the sauce. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese on top.
- Layer the remaining 1/3 of the eggplant on the top. Top with the rest of the sauce and the last 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese.
8
Cook the dish. Place the dish in the oven. Let it cook for 35 minutes, or until all the cheese is melted. Let sit for 10 minutes and then serve.^{[3]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Fried Eggplant Parmesan with Ricotta

1
Make the sauce. Add the olive oil to a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the olives, red pepper flakes, and capers to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Stir it often. Pour in the cans of tomatoes and juice and stir. Bring to a simmer. Stir in 1/4 cup of the fresh basil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- To make this sauce less spicy, remove the red pepper flakes.
2
Cut the eggplant. Wash and dry the eggplant. Cut off the top and bottom of the eggplant and cut them into long 1/2 inch thick strips.
3
Prepare the eggplant coating. Add the flour to a shallow dish. Beat 3 eggs in another shallow dish. Combine the oregano, breadcrumbs, and garlic powder in a third shallow dish. Season each dish with salt and pepper to taste. Place the eggplant and the three dishes near the stove.
- Arrange the dishes in the order you prepared them, with the eggplant beside the flour, then the egg and the breadcrumb mixture.
4
Fry the eggplant. Pour olive oil 1/4 inch high in a skillet and heat it over medium heat. Take a slice of eggplant and dip it in the flour, covering both sides. Next, cover both sides of the slice in egg. Then, dip the slice into the breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides. Place the slice in the hot oil. Repeat until your skillet it full. Once the eggplant is golden brown on both sides, remove the slices and place them on paper towels to drain. Repeat until all your eggplant is fried.
- If you run low on olive oil, add more as necessary.
5
Prepare the ricotta mixture. Mix the ricotta cheese with 1/2 cup of Parmesan Romano cheese. Add in 1/2 cup of basil, 2 eggs, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until it is mixed well.
6
Preheat the oven. Before you layer your dish, you need to preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Coat a large casserole dish in butter.
7
Layer your ingredients. Spoon a generous amount of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan. Layer the eggplant along the bottom of the dish. Take half the ricotta mixture and spread it on top of the eggplant. Spoon another layer of the sauce on top of the ricotta. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella on top of the sauce. Add another layer of eggplant and the rest of the ricotta. Cover with more sauce and another 1/3 of the mozzarella. Add the last eggplant to the top. Cover it with the rest of the sauce and mozzarella. Cover the whole dish with 3/4 cup of Parmesan Romano cheese.
8
Cook the dish. Cook the eggplant Parmesan for 1 hour, or until golden on top. Let the dish sit for 20 minutes before you serve.^{[4]
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Expert Q&A

Question

How do you pick eggplant for eggplant parmesan?

Ollie George Cigliano
Private Chef & Food Educator
Ollie George Cigliano is a Private Chef, Food Educator, and Owner of Ollie George Cooks, based in Long Beach, California. With over 20 years of experience, she specializes in utilizing fresh, fun ingredients and mixing traditional and innovative cooking techniques. Ollie George holds a BA in Comparative Literature from The University of California, Berkeley, and a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from eCornell University.

Ollie George Cigliano

Private Chef & Food Educator

Expert Answer

Choose a large, globe eggplant as you prep for your eggplant Parmesan. There are many varieties of eggplant out there but a globe eggplant is definitely the best one for this recipe.
Question

Can this be made ahead of time and frozen? Should it be cooked first?

Community Answer

You can cook until it is tender. The key is to let it cool and then wrap it tightly using non stick aluminum foil. Once it is out of the freezer, use a toothpick to make some holes in the foil for the steam to escape. Cook it at 350 and sprinkle more cheese on top when it's finished.