Garlic Parmesan Baked Eggplant Recipe – crispy baked, not fried, eggplant with garlic Parmesan breading. A delicious way to enjoy this fall vegetable!
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.
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.
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)!
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GARLIC PARMESAN BAKED EGGPLANT RECIPE
More delicious vegetable recipes: www.crunchycreamysweet.com
- 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
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
Next, 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.
Serve as side dish, appetizer or use in eggplant Parmesan.
Eggplant skin is completely edible. It's a personal preference, just like zucchini. You can peel the skin off or leave it.
Jan says
August 16, 2019 at 6:09 pmYum!! 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!
Anna says
August 17, 2019 at 10:25 pmHi Jan! Yay! That’s wonderful! I am so glad that you are enjoying the recipe. Thank you so much for trying it!
Dani says
August 8, 2019 at 9:37 amAbsolutely 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!!
Anna says
August 12, 2019 at 9:44 pmHi 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!
LunchBox says
July 23, 2019 at 10:41 pmI 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.
Laurel Guy says
July 18, 2019 at 7:32 amThis 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.
Anna says
July 22, 2019 at 12:25 pmThank you so much, Laurel! I am so glad the eggplant was a hit! I hope your supper club will love it too!
Nina says
July 25, 2019 at 1:35 pmQuestion 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.
Anna says
July 26, 2019 at 11:54 amHi 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.
BZNANA says
July 16, 2019 at 1:05 pmActually 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.
Ruth Allen says
July 16, 2019 at 12:45 pmi LOVE eggplant. Have been frying. I will try this recipe
right now. Thanks
Kendra says
July 5, 2019 at 8:34 pmOk so these were good but my breading did not stick. Any tips on how to correct that for next time?
Frances says
July 7, 2019 at 6:31 pmI sprinkled additional breading on top.. Dipped them in garlic and basil-infused olive oil instead of butter. One of the best eggplant recipes I’ve made.
Anna says
July 11, 2019 at 1:38 pmThat’s wonderful! Thank you so much, Frances!
Diane says
July 20, 2019 at 7:00 pmLet 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.
cindy says
August 6, 2019 at 8:44 amThis recipe doesn’t call for eggs.
Eva says
July 20, 2019 at 12:04 pmI sprayed mine with evoo
Cynthia Archibald says
July 3, 2019 at 10:08 pmHave you ever tried this recipe with green tomatoes?
Anna says
July 4, 2019 at 11:39 amHi Cynthia! I have not but I think it would be delicious!
Angela says
June 27, 2019 at 2:09 pmI 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!!
Diane says
July 20, 2019 at 7:01 pmLet 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.
Lena says
June 17, 2019 at 10:38 pmSo 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.
Pat says
June 16, 2019 at 6:09 pmWhat can be substituted for italian seasoning?
Anna says
June 17, 2019 at 3:01 pmHi Pat! You can use dried basil, thyme, rosemary and oregano or use fresh herbs.
Sharon says
July 26, 2019 at 2:44 pmI used a pasta seasoning.
Sheryl says
June 16, 2019 at 12:56 pmCan these be coked and frozen for use in eggplant Parmesan ?
Anna says
June 17, 2019 at 3:04 pmHi Sheryl! Yes, you can prepare the eggplant by following this recipe and freeze it. The breading may not be as crispy as if you made it right before baking. Follow instructions on my Eggplant Parmesan recipe here: https://www.crunchycreamysweet.com/baked-eggplant-parmesan/
Crystal Brennan says
June 15, 2019 at 5:32 pmTry an air fryer
Jenna says
June 12, 2019 at 12:44 amThis 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.
Beth Lachin says
June 2, 2019 at 8:19 pmI am an experienced cook, and followed the recipe exactly, but the eggplant never got crisp. Tasty, but totally limp 🙁
Crystal Brennan says
June 15, 2019 at 5:31 pmTry an air fryer
Kim says
April 21, 2019 at 4:57 pmQuestion do you cook the eggplant on the drying racks over the baking sheet or straight down on the foil?
Anna says
April 22, 2019 at 6:12 pmHi Kim! I didn’t use a rack for baking, but you are welcome to do that.
Mary Braswell says
April 9, 2019 at 9:07 amI have a question. Do you rinse or wipe the salt after it sits
or just cook as is .
Thanks
Anna says
April 9, 2019 at 12:36 pmHi Mary! I do not rinse the salt off. Hope this helps!
Kim Lippy says
June 29, 2019 at 9:04 pmI did not wipe or rinse the salt off, and it was WAYYYY too salty.
Sarah says
June 14, 2019 at 4:03 pmI 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.
Rick says
February 12, 2019 at 6:32 pmThis 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.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
February 13, 2019 at 1:38 pmHi Rick! I am so glad it was helpful and that the eggplant was a hit! That’s fantastic! Thank you for trying my recipe!
Linda K says
February 4, 2019 at 1:58 pmGoing out for eggplant today.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
February 5, 2019 at 1:24 amYay! I hope you love it, Linda!
Laura says
January 14, 2019 at 8:12 pmI used an entire stick of butter- I kept running out.
Sandra | A Dash of Sanity says
September 17, 2018 at 2:43 pmThis looks really good! Would love to give it a try!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
September 14, 2018 at 9:36 amThis looks absolutely delicious! Yummy!
Des says
September 14, 2018 at 9:18 amThis dinner sounds amazing. I have some eggplant in the fridge I will have to make this dish.
Krista says
September 13, 2018 at 4:16 pmLove these for an appetizer or as lunch!
Melanie Bauer says
September 13, 2018 at 7:33 amOh yummy! What a creative recipe, got to try that for sure!
Amanda says
September 12, 2018 at 4:17 pmI have never tried this before, but your recipe is so easy to follow. They look amazing!
Dee says
September 12, 2018 at 4:16 pmThis looks so good, can’t wait to try these!