Garlic Parmesan Baked Eggplant is a 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.
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Why This Recipe Works
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!
Ingredients:
- eggplant: I used one large eggplant;
- butter: helps the bread crumbs stick to eggplant but also makes the outside crunchy and delicious;
- salt: needed to prepare the eggplant for cooking; helps draw the moisture out so the final dish is not soggy;
- Parmesan cheese: adds delicious toasted cheese flavor to the breading;
- bread crumbs: use plain, Italian style or panko OR a mix of two;
- seasoning: garlic powder, paprika, Italian seasoning.
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How to prepare eggplant for cooking?
I started by washing the eggplant and trimming off the green end. You can peel the skin if you like. Next, I sliced eggplant into ½" disks.
I arranged all disks in a colander or cooling rack set over a baking sheet, sprinkled 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 the 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.
How to serve this dish?
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)!
Recipe FAQs:
Eggplant skin is completely edible. It's a personal preference, just like zucchini. You can peel the skin off or leave it.
You can substitute the beaten egg for the melted butter in this dish. It will help the breading stick to the eggplant. However, the butter will make the breading bake to golden crispy.
Absolutely! Many of our readers made this dish with GF bread crumbs and had amazing results. Check out the comments below!
To freeze this dish, place the baked and cooled eggplant disks on a baking sheet and freeze. Then place all in a freezer container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw out in the fridge and bake until heated through.
Absolutely! You can follow our recipe for Eggplant Parmesan or simply top each serving with marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella. Bake until the cheese is melted.
More side dish recipes:
If you like this recipe and make it, let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it if you enjoyed it!
Garlic Parmesan Baked Eggplant Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- 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 ½" disks. Place all disks in colander or cooling rack set over baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and let sit for at least 30 minutes1 large eggplant
- Next, melt butter in a bowl. Mix breadcrumbs, spices and Parmesan cheese in another bowl.1 cup breadcrumbs, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- Dip each eggplant disk into butter first, then breading mixture. Place on aluminum foil or parchment paper lined baking sheet.6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Bake in 400℉ oven for 15 minutes, then flip each disk and baked for 7 more minutes. The eggplant should be golden brown and the breading crispy.
- Serve as side dish, appetizer or use in eggplant Parmesan.
Notes
- Eggplant skin is completely edible. It's a personal preference, just like zucchini. You can peel the skin off or leave it.
Add panko to the bread crumbs mixture to add more crunch. - Use this dish to make eggplant parmesan.
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.
Katrina Squires says
Can I freeze these for later use ?
Jola says
The perfect eggplant recipe. Crispy and soft inside.
Claudia says
I had to use two egg to make the crumbs and cheese stick and it worked great!
Judith Donovan says
This technique would never have occurred to me and I am so glad I made it. Easy peasy and so delicious. Thanks so much
Judy
Sheri says
What can I use instead of Parmasan cheese?
Cause I notice it calls for 1/4 cup.
I'm lactose intolerance.
Anna says
Hi Sheri! You can skip it or use nutritional yeast that will give it that cheesy flavor. I hope this helps!
Chris says
Recently, we have been continuously making eggplants from your blog. How we like it
Krzysztof Kogut says
I love eggplant and zucchini. Your recipe is great
JB says
Sooo good! I added a bit of garlic powder and cayenne along with the salt, to the eggplant. I don't have a baking sheet or aluminum foil so I cooked them in my cast iron skillet. The crunch surpassed my expectations, in the best way.
Patrick S. says
I tried this recipe following step by step, and it came out pretty good. However, I noticed the outside was crunchy using breadcrumbs and the inside wasn't mushy, but it was soft. In addition, the discs were soft even after cooling down for about 10 minutes after removing them from the oven. Is that normal?
Deena says
I did and it was really good. I also added my favorite everything spice. I did not have breadcrumbs, so I used crackers. Yummy! and relatively easy!!
Diane says
Do I rinse the salt off after sweating the eggplant?
Anna says
Hi Diane! You can pat it with a paper towel. Hope this helps!
Olivia says
Everyone in my house loved this baked eggplant recipe! It turned out perfectly crispy and was so delicious!
Anna says
That's wonderful! Thank you so much, Olivia!
jess says
usually when I make eggplant parmesan I used fried eggplant, but I wanted to try this baked version, and it was amazing! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe!
Anna says
I'm so glad it was a hit! Thank you, Jess!
Ana says
These crispy baked eggplant slices are an absolute delight – a very delicious side dish or appetizer option.
Anna says
Thank you so much, Ana!
Gavin says
This is a great recipe! I had no unsalted butter, so I used a combination of pure beef tallow and extra virgin olive oil and it worked like a charm! Highly recommend it!
Anna says
Thanks so much, Gavin! I'm so glad the recipe was a success!