Main Dishes
Eggplant Parmesan
Description
Baked Eggplant Parmesan is comfort food Italian-style! Layers of crispy panko-coated eggplant, melty mozzarella, marinara, and fresh basil make for a satisfying vegetarian dinner even ardent meat eaters will devour. Forget the mess of frying—crisping your eggplant in the oven gives even BETTER results!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds eggplant unpeeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds (about 2 large)
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons nonfat milk or milk of choice
- 1 ¼ cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese divided
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 24 ounces good quality prepared marinara sauce I like DeLallo and Rao’s
- 2 8-ounce balls fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves thinly sliced (one of those little .5 ounce packs is perfect)
- Olive oil mister or nonstick cooking spray
Directions
- Place racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat oven to 425° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a wide, shallow dish (a pie dish works well), beat together the eggs and milk. In a separate wide, shallow dish, combine the panko, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper, and set it next to the egg mixture.
- Working a few at a time, dip the eggplant slices in the egg mixture on both sides, then dredge on both sides with the breadcrumbs (a light coating is fine). Arrange close together on the prepared baking sheets. The edges of the breaded eggplant slices can touch, but they should not be overlapping (save any extra slices to roast separately). Coat them generously with nonstick spray or mist with olive oil.
- Bake the eggplant slices for 15 minutes on the first side, then remove the pans from the oven, rotate them 180°F and return them to the oven, switching their places on the upper and lower racks so the slices cook evenly. Continue roasting until the breadcrumbs are golden and crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes more.
