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Garlic Parmesan Baked Eggplant Recipe

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Garlic Parmesan Baked Eggplant – crispy baked, not fried, eggplant with garlic Parmesan breading. A delicious way to enjoy this fall vegetable!

If you enjoy eggplant, you may want to try my One Pot Chicken Ratatouille recipe of the easy, vegetarian Eggplant Lasagna.

garlic parmesan eggplant recipe 4 Garlic Parmesan Baked Eggplant Recipe

Eggplant is in season and I am going to show you one of my favorite dishes with this vegetable. It’s easy and can be served as an appetizer, side dish or used in main dishes, like Eggplant Parmesan. The garlicky Parmesan breading makes for a perfectly crispy coating even though the eggplant is baked and not fried.

If I am not roasting vegetables, I make my simple two-ingredient breading and bake them in the oven till crispy. No frying required! I used this method in my Baked Artichoke Hearts recipe and my Best Roasted Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower recipe. It’s amazing!

HOW TO PREPARE EGGPLANT FOR COOKING?

Start by washing the eggplant and trimming off the green end. You can peel the skin if you like. Next, slice eggplant into 1/2″ disks. Place all disks in colander or cooling rack set over baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and let sit for at least 30 minutes. It helps to cut the bitterness of the vegetable and makes it “sweat”. You will notice little drops of moisture on the surface of the disks. Removing the moisture from the eggplant will prevent it from releasing it during cooking. You can use prepared like this eggplant in a variety of dishes.

HOW TO MAKE GARLIC PARMESAN BAKED EGGPLANT?

Prepare eggplant disks according to instructions above. Melt butter in a bowl. Mix breadcrumbs, spices and Parmesan cheese in another bowl. Dip each eggplant disk into butter first, then breading mixture. Place on aluminum foil or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in 400 degrees F oven for 15 minutes, then flip each disk and baked for 7 more minutes. The eggplant should be golden brown and the breading crispy.

garlic parmesan eggplant recipe 5 Garlic Parmesan Baked Eggplant Recipe

DO YOU NEED TO PEEL EGGPLANT BEFORE BAKING?

Eggplant skin is completely edible. It’s a personal preference, just like zucchini. You can peel the skin off or leave it.

garlic parmesan eggplant recipe 3 Garlic Parmesan Baked Eggplant Recipe

HOW TO SERVE CRISPY BAKED EGGPLANT?

You can serve it as a side dish, next to mashed potatoes and roasted chicken or pork loin. It also makes for a great appetizer, served with dips. You can also use this baked eggplant in place of fried one when making Eggplant Parmesan. It’s easier since there is no frying required and healthier. You can also use it as a burger topping (think black bean burgers or healthy turkey burgers)!

garlic parmesan eggplant recipe 2 Garlic Parmesan Baked Eggplant Recipe

pin it button Garlic Parmesan Baked Eggplant Recipe

If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀

4.95 from 38 votes
baked eggplant A 150x150 Garlic Parmesan Baked Eggplant Recipe
Print
Garlic Parmesan Baked Eggplant Recipe
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
23 mins
resting time
30 mins
Total Time
38 mins
 
Crispy baked, not fried, eggplant with garlic Parmesan breading. A delicious way to enjoy this fall vegetable! 

More delicious vegetable recipes: www.crunchycreamysweet.com

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: eggplant Parmesan, vegetables
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 312 kcal
Author: Anna
Ingredients
  • 1 large eggplant
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Start by preparing the eggplant: wash the eggplant and trim off the green end. You can peel the skin if you like. Next, slice eggplant into 1/2" disks. Place all disks in colander or cooling rack set over baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and let sit for at least 30 minutes

  2. Next, melt butter in a bowl. Mix breadcrumbs, spices and Parmesan cheese in another bowl. 

  3. Dip each eggplant disk into butter first, then breading mixture. Place on aluminum foil or parchment paper lined baking sheet. 
  4. Bake in 400 degrees F oven for 15 minutes, then flip each disk and baked for 7 more minutes. The eggplant should be golden brown and the breading crispy.

  5. Serve as side dish, appetizer or use in eggplant Parmesan. 

Recipe Notes

Eggplant skin is completely edible. It's a personal preference, just like zucchini. You can peel the skin off or leave it. 

Nutrition Facts
Garlic Parmesan Baked Eggplant Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 312 Calories from Fat 180
% Daily Value*
Fat 20g31%
Saturated Fat 12g75%
Cholesterol 49mg16%
Sodium 302mg13%
Potassium 315mg9%
Carbohydrates 26g9%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 660IU13%
Vitamin C 2.6mg3%
Calcium 143mg14%
Iron 1.7mg9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Donna Webb says

    OMG! The first time I made this as a side dish for my husband and I, I only made it with one eggplant. It was so good, I now have to double the recipe for just the two of us! This is perhaps our favorite thing to eat now!

    Reply

  2. Alexandra says

    This was delicious!!!!! I was worried because I didn’t have unsalted butter but I did the following and it was perfect:
    Salt both sides of eggplant before resting for 30 minutes
    Blot eggplant “sweat” before coated
    I coated with 1/2 the butter and added two eggs and a tablespoon of minced garlic
    I also added some shredded Parmesan to the tops after I flipped
    Love love love

    Reply

  3. Barb says

    If the sweating allows the bitterness to leave the egg plant, are we supposed to rinse it after it sweats before breading it?

    Reply

    • Alexandra says

      No! Rinsing would defeat the purpose of resting and drying out. Just blot the sweat off and you will be good!

      Reply

  5. Leigh says

    This was really good! The only thing I am disappointed about is that I only bought one eggplant at the market; I would have liked more of this! I think it would make a great entree for someone trying to cut down on meat.

    Reply

    • Anna says

      Hi Leigh! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! A lot of our readers say the same: they wish they made more! Thank you so much for trying my recipe!

      Reply

    • Rachael Litts says

      I’m doing a low carb diet , so I cut out some of the breadcrumbs and added a little prego spag sauce and extra cheese . My family ABSOLUTELY LOVED it !! We have company here and they do not eat any meats …This was a huge hit and it was our main coarse . Add a little Salad with it and it really makes a good meal .

      Reply

  9. Sandra Jones says

    I made fresh bread crumbs from a loaf of Sara Lee wheat bread. When I dipped the eggplant into the crumb mixture after the butter, the crumbs did not want to stick to the eggplant slices. Then, when it was time to turn them, the coating stuck to the foil! Should I have greased the foil first? Or was it because I used fresh bread crumbs? They taste alright though, even though the breading didn’t stick properly, and what was stuck on foil was very browned.

    Reply

    • Anna says

      Hi Sandra! By fresh bread crumbs, do you mean you processed the fresh loaf of bread in a food processor and use breadcrumbs like that? If so, they would be too soft and too “moist” and therefore stick to the foil. I hope this helps!

      Reply

    • kathy says

      When I make fresh breadcrumbs I toast the bread first, break the toast into quarters, then whirl them in the food processor for about 20 seconds. They may not stick if you use parchment paper instead of foil.

      Reply

  10. Diane says

    Mine came out too salty too, but otherwise super delicious. I like to use Tumeric so I added some to the Seasoning and instead of butter, I used Olive Oil spread, and I added a few saltines and rolled them out fine in a plastic bag, put eggplant slices in my olive oil butter-like, shook in bag and baked as instructed.

    Reply

  11. Ilene says

    Made the recipe tonight with left over eggplant. Crispy and yummy but a little salty even after I rubbed off the salt after letting it sweat for over 30 minutes… I used kosher salt, would it have been less salty with regular table salt? Something different, for sure! Thanks

    Reply

  13. Elizabeth says

    We are trying to limit saturated fat, so is there an alternative to the butter? Thinking an egg or two maybe with some evoo? Thanks, looking forward to making this in a few days.

    Reply

    • Anna says

      Hi Elizabeth! The mixture of butter and breadcrumbs make the eggplant crispy. If you want to skip the butter and use egg, you will need to spray each eggplant slice with olive oil cooking spray. I hope this helps!

      Reply

      • Elizabeth says

        Thanks! Made them – pretty good with the egg/olive oil though the butter definitely would have made it crispier. We ate it as a main and I think next time I make it I’ll use it to make eggplant parm. Thanks!

        Reply

  14. Kimberly Wyatt says

    Wow! These were amazing! We had a stuffed tomatoe, an ear of corn on the cob and these gems! Will make again and again also next time i make egg plant parm. So much better than fried. The coating was awesome.

    Reply

    • Anna says

      Hi Kimberly! That’s fantastic! I am so glad you like the eggplant. I use it to make Eggplant Parmesan too. It’s wonderful! Thank you for making my recipe and for the comment!

      Reply

  15. Pollie says

    I made the recipe exactly as written and it really was both crunchy and creamy. Perfection!! Thank you for sharing it!

    Reply

  16. Shelia Smith says

    Each time I have attempted to make eggplant anything the flavor was just not there BUT this recipe simple and delicious with just a few ingredients. Will definitely make again. My sister and I compete with finding new recipes I’ll have to let her know I’ve found one she must try!

    Reply

      • Pollie says

        I would give this recipe 10 stars if I could! I made it exactly as written. It really was crunchy and creamy. Thank you so much for the recipe!

        Reply

  18. Laura says

    I made this recipe last night and it was a huge hit in my house. The only adjustments I made was I didn’t have smoked paprika so I used regular paprika and I used 1/2 the melted butter recommended and then added two eggs. I dredged the eggplant through the butter & egg mixture and then the bread crumbs. It was crunchy and very tasty. This will become a staple in our house as a side dish. Thank you!

    Reply

  21. Mihra says

    Just made this for dinner and it was really good! I did not use any butter. Dipped it in egg and then the bread crumb dry mixture, to make it healthier and less calories. 🙂

    Reply

  22. Tanya says

    My first recipe using eggplant, so a very new dish for me. I cook mine in air fryer 400 degrees 15 min first side and 7 min second side. I didn’t peel, and will be peeling for the next time (and there definitely will be a next time. Really enjoyed them. I just may have another vegetable I can add to my list of likes.

    Reply

  23. Juliet King says

    I made this yesterday and everyone LOVED it. The only thing I did differently was use olive oil instead of butter. I let my eggplant sweat for 4 hours and they were perfect (I’m sure you don’t have to do them this long but I had the time so I just let them sit). SO good! I will definitely make again.

    Reply

  24. Jan says

    Yum!! Had so much eggplant from our garden this year. This was our favorite recipe for the summer! Thank you so much for sharing! Will make it again and again!

    Reply

  25. Dani says

    Absolutely Love this! My 1st time cooking eggplant. It came out awesome so, I had to make it again. Second time I mixed the butter with an egg (low on butter) and that seemed to allow the breading to stick better to the eggplant. I played it on top of couscous and a drizzle of white wine sauce. Can’t wait to impress with this dish!!

    Reply

    • Anna says

      Hi Dani! Thank you so much for trying my recipe. I am so glad it was a hit! I love that you served it with couscous and white wine sauce. Sounds delicious!

      Reply

  26. LunchBox says

    I made this with a slight Lebanese twist…and added grilled garlic habanero chicken and a tomato sauce with chickpeas. My partner, and my 2 youngest offspring had never had eggplant, and they couldn’t get enough. 12/10 excellent.

    Reply

    • Barb says

      It was delicious and definitely easy to make! Had some leftover spaghetti meat sauce and added on top of one slice and it was great also! Thanks for a wonderful and easy recipe!

      Reply

  27. Laurel Guy says

    This was great!
    It became my entire dinner, two baby eggplants. I used the olive oil formula from one of the comments and it was almost perfect. I needed to let it sweat in a colander, and then really dry it with a paper towel, other wise the oil will not adhere, thus neither will the breadcrumb mixture.
    Thank you so much, really enjoyed this and will be serving it soon at our supper club.

    Reply

      • Nina says

        Question re nutrition info: are the numbers for one serving? This would be a 1/4 of the total number of eggplant disks. Thanks for clarifying.

        Reply

        • Anna says

          Hi Nina! All recipes have nutrition value per serving. Also, they are an estimate. I recommend running the recipe through an app or a calorie counter you are familiar with.

          Reply

  28. BZNANA says

    Actually mine are in the oven I had no seasonings used everything bagel seasoning I’ll let you know how they come out mixed panko with reg breadcrumbs since I was low.

    Reply

  32. Angela says

    I made this recipe last night with 2 small eggplants (doubling the recipe). I patted dry the eggplants after their 30 minute sweat and baked them 10 minutes after turning them instead of the 7 minutes. They tasted scrumptious! Crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. We even had them for lunch leftovers today. The small toaster oven heated them up and helped to keep them crunchy on the outside. My husband said this recipe is a keeper! Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Diane says

      Let it dry on the rack for 30-40 minutes. Sit in the egg for a minute then dredge through together Parmesan and Panko mixture. Turn over and dredge again.

      Reply

  33. Lena says

    So I randomly bought an eggplant at Sprouts ( had no idea how to prepare). Thankfully, I found Anna’s recipe and everyone had already asked all of my questions so I was ready to cook. I heavily salted the eggplants so when the 30 minutes was up I padded off all of the moisture. I did cook them on the rack to avoid them turning out soggy. I didn’t have Italian seasoning so I used the noted substitutes. After I flipped the eggplants over I sprinkled the rest of the seasoning over the eggplant. My eggplants were soggy in the middle and crisp and crunchy around the edges. So it makes me wonder, if I cooked it longer would they have come out in the same consistency? Would slicing them thinner be the key? I don’t know just me pondering or loud. I pinned this and will make again.

    Reply

  37. Jenna says

    This has become one of my favorite recipes to make! It’s a great way to easily add to the look of your meal as well.

    Reply

  38. Beth Lachin says

    I am an experienced cook, and followed the recipe exactly, but the eggplant never got crisp. Tasty, but totally limp 🙁

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      I guess I made it sweat with too much salt. I wish I had wiped most of it off. It’s a bit too salty. No blame thrown on the recipe, I do this every single time I make eggplant, which is about once a year. I have to remember to not use a lot of salt.

      Reply

  41. Rick says

    This is a delicious, simple, and quick recipe! I’m a newbie, so never knew about “sweating” eggplant to remove the bitterness. I misted the eggplant lightly with olive oil instead of using butter, comes out looking the same, crispy, sweet and great with marinara sauce on the side.

    Reply

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