Mom's Baked Eggplant Parmesan is made with grilled eggplant, peppers, and onions. This dish is NOT breaded, but it's cheesy and so flavorful. Perfect for the holidays!
My mom's Baked Eggplant Parmesan is not completely traditional, but it's so damn good. To begin with, she doesn't bread the eggplant which saves a ton of calories, She also doesn't fry the eggplant, but rather bakes it (sometimes even sautees it). Additionally, she adds bell peppers and onions which makes this dish so hearty and delicious.
This is one casserole dish of my mom's that my husband loves. Whenever we visit, I know her famous eggplant parm is on the menu.
Healthy Eggplant Parmesan
So this Baked Eggplant Parmesan is NOT exactly healthy by any means, but here are some healthy swaps I made:
- eggplant is not breaded
- baked eggplant rather than fried
- addition of bell peppers and onions makes it more hearty
Can I make Baked Eggplant Parmesan gluten-free?
Yes! This dish uses breadcrumbs. Simply use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
Can I make Grilled Eggplant Parm vegan?
Absolutely! These days even cheesy indulgent dishes can easily be vegan. Replace the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses with vegan cheese and you've got yourself Vegan Eggplant Parmesan.
Can I make this dish more low-carb?
Absolutely! Simply omit the breadcrumbs and you've got yourself low carb Eggplant Parm.
What other Veggies can I add to this dish?
In addition to peppers and onions, you may add zucchini, spinach, and artichoke. The more veggies you add, the heartier this dish will be.
Tips on making Baked Eggplant Parm:
There are 3 steps involved in making this indulgent dish:
- bake the eggplant
- saute the veggies
- assemble the eggplant parmesan
- bake in the oven
What should I serve Baked Eggplant Parm with?
- Salad/Steamed Veggies: You can go low-carb and serve this dish with a salad which makes it a more balanced meal. Doing so results in 4 servings.
- Pasta: You can also serve this dish with spaghetti (my preference) which makes it much more filling. This results in 6 servings.
- Meat: And of course, you can simply serve this dish with grilled chicken or fish. This will most likely be 5 servings.
Baked Eggplant Parmesan is:
Baked, NOT Fried
Not Breaded
Hearty
Indulgent
Weekend Meal
Holiday Friendly
Gluten-Free option (use gf breadcrumbs)
Low-Carb (skip the breadcrumbs, or use a few)
Vegan option (use vegan cheese)
How to make Baked Eggplant Parmesan recipe step by step?
Grill Eggplant
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, oregano, and smashed garlic cloves. Mix.
3. Slice the eggplant horizontally in quarter-inch thick slices and pat dry.
4. Brush both sides of the eggplant with the olive oil garlic mixture from above.
5. Place eggplant on a baking sheet.
6. Into the oven for 30 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping the eggplant halfway.
Saute Veggies
1. Chop the garlic from the mixture above with oil and oregano, and chop another clove of garlic, so total 3 cloves. Chop the bell peppers and onions in ½ inch cubes.
2. Heat up a castiron skillet, once hot, add oil, add the garlic and bell peppers. Saute for 5 minutes until the bell peppers are slightly charred.
3. Add the onions. Stir for a couple of minutes.
4. Add salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook for 2 more minutes.
5. Veggies are now done. Set aside.
6. The grilled eggplant should be completely done by now on both sides.
7. Grate mozzarella cheese.
Assemble Baked Eggplant Parmesan
1. In a baking dish, I am using my Le Creuset Braiser, spread ½ cup of your favorite Marinara sauce, I LOVE Rao's Homemade Marinara. Alternatively, you may use a homemade tomato sauce that's flavored with Italian seasonings.
2. Place the grilled eggplant over the sauce.
3. Top with ⅓ of the veggies - spread evenly.
4. Top with some more Mariara sauce - ½ cup or so.
5. Now top with mozzarella cheese and 1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs.
6. Repeat 2 more times as follows: eggplant - veggies - sauce - cheese - breadcrumbs.
7. At the end - top with 1 cup of Marinara sauce and the remaining mozzarella cheese.
8. Top with ¼ cup parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoon of breadcrumbs.
9. Into the oven for 25 minutes. Broil for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is slightly golden brown.
10. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley.
Pin & Enjoy with Salad or Spaghetti!
More Baked Dishes!
- Baked Ziti with Spinach
- Bean and Cheese Enchiladas
- Masala Mac and Cheese
- Baked Eggplant Spinach Rollatini
- Crunchy Tortilla Salsa Mac and Cheese
Baked Eggplant Parmesan
Gluten-Free option, Vegan option, VegetarianIngredients
for baked eggplant
- 1 large eggplant, sliced ¼ inch thick
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 teaspoon oregano
for sauteed veggies
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, 2 reserved from earlier - smashed garlic
- ½ large red bell pepper, 1-inch cubes
- ½ large green bell pepper, 1-inch cubes
- 1 medium onion, 1-inch cubes
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, more for spice
- 1 ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
for assembling
- 3 cups marinara sauce, I used Rao's
- grilled eggplant
- sauteed veggies
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 5 tablespoon breadcrumbs, divided - 1 tablespoon for each layer, 2 tablespoon for top
for garnish
- fresh basil/parsley, chopped
Instructions
Grill Eggplant
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, oregano, and smashed garlic cloves. Mix.
- Slice the eggplant horizontally in quarter-inch thick slices and pat dry.
- Brush both sides of the eggplant with the olive oil garlic mixture from above.
- Place eggplant on a baking sheet.
- Into the oven for 30 minutes, flipping the eggplant halfway.
Saute Veggies
- Chop the garlic from the mixture above with oil and oregano, and chop another clove of garlic, so total 3 cloves. Chop the bell peppers and onions in ½ inch cubes.
- Heat up a castiron skillet, once hot, add oil, add the garlic and bell peppers. Saute for 5 minutes until the bell peppers are slightly charred.
- Add the onions. Stir for a couple of minutes.
- Add salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook for 2 more minutes.
- Veggies are now done. Set aside.
- The grilled eggplant should be completely done by now on both sides.
- Grate mozzarella cheese.
Assemble Baked Eggplant Parmesan
- In a baking dish, I am using my Le Creuset Braiser, spread ½ cup of your favorite Marinara sauce, I LOVE Rao's Homemade Marinara. Alternatively, you may use a homemade tomato sauce that's flavored with Italian seasonings.
- Place the grilled eggplant over the sauce.
- Top with ⅓ of the veggies - spread evenly.
- Top with some more Mariara sauce - ½ cup or so.
- Now top with mozzarella cheese and 1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs.
- Repeat 2 more times as follows: eggplant - veggies - sauce - cheese - breadcrumbs.
- At the end - top with 1 cup of Marinara sauce and the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Top with ¼ cup parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoon of breadcrumbs.
- Into the oven for 25 minutes. Broil for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is slightly golden brown.
- Garnish with fresh parsley or basil - I used parsley, but basil would be delicious too!
Notes
- for gluten-free: use gf breadcrumbs
- for vegan: use vegan mozzarella and parmesan cheeses
- for "more" low-carb: eliminate breadcrumbs
Rina Gajjar says
Great recipe!!! Thank you so much for posting it, this is so much easier and flavorful than what I used to make ❤️
Pooja says
Baked eggplant parmesan was incredible
Shelly says
Made this for my family and everyone loved it! So flavorful snd delicious, it was gone within minutes and I wish I doubled the recipe so i could have seconds lol. I’ll definitely be making it again!
Daljit says
This is so delicious, made it a few times and every time it is a hit with the family. Can I assemble this dish before hand and bake it the next day.
Thanks
honeywhatscooking says
Hi Daljit. Yes absolutely, you can assemble beforehand. Make sure you wrap it well in plastic wrap and then refrigerate.