Learn how to make eggplant Parmesan with this delicious, lighter baked Eggplant Parmesan Recipe. It's perfect for serving a crowd, so make it for your next gathering or family dinner!
Prep time: PT20M
Cook time: PT40M
Total time: PT60M
Rating
4.93 stars (553 reviews)
Keywords
eggplant parmesan, fall, summer
Ingredients
2 large eggplants (cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds)
2 large eggs (beaten)
¼ cup almond milk
1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
1¼ cups grated Parmesan cheese (divided)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon sea salt (plus more for sprinkling)
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil (for drizzling)
28 ounces Marinara Sauce
2 large fresh mozzarella balls (thinly sliced)
⅓ cup fresh basil leaves
Categories
Main dish
Steps
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium-sized shallow dish, whisk the eggs and almond milk.
In another medium-sized shallow dish, combine the panko, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, and several grinds of pepper.
Dip the eggplant slices into the egg mixture and then into the panko mixture. Place onto the baking sheets, drizzle with olive oil, and bake for 18 minutes or until tender and golden brown.
In an 8x12 or 9x13-inch baking dish, spread ½ cup marinara, layer half the eggplant, and top with 1 cup of marinara and half the mozzarella. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, the remaining marinara, and the remaining mozzarella. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with a few more pinches of sea salt. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is nicely melted. Turn the oven to broil and broil for 2 to 4 or until the cheese is browned and bubbling.
Remove from the oven and top with fresh basil.
Reviews
Sharon on 2026-05-03 21:24:11 (5 stars): I really enjoyed this recipe. It was supposed to be enough for 6 to 8 servings, but it was only 4 because I loved it and ate BIG servings. I was a bit put-off at first by all the steps, but it was worth it. Sorry I didn't take a picture.It will be made again soon.
Diana on 2026-04-06 21:14:05 (5 stars): I actually made this tonight for Passover using kosher for Passover breadcrumbs and it was phenomenal. Love that it’s baked but still crunchy like fried. My kids loved it too. Will definitely make again. I always forget to leave a review but all of your recipes are outstanding,
Griffin Reed on 2026-04-01 14:07:29 (5 stars): Amazing, one of my favorite recipes ever!
Marsha on 2026-03-21 12:55:39 (5 stars): This is an excellent recipe. The marinara recipe that goes with is also delicious. Treatment of the eggplant also works well for green tomatoes!
I’ve made this several times. What I make is sort of a “deconstructed “ version. Instead of making a solid bake dish I create stacks of sauce, eggplant and cheese (as many layers as possible without them tipping over) with space between the stacks. Once baked you have lots of preserved crunchy eggplant. It’s easier to serve and scale. Delicious!
Pam on 2026-03-15 20:09:03 (5 stars): Excellent and so fresh tasting!! Only 2 changes, sweated the eggplant for about 45 minutes....and I added about 1/2 teaspoon paprika to the breadcrumb mixture. Other than that, followed exactly including making your Marinara too!!! Hardest thing was determining what size eggplant! I used 2 that were 1# each & ended up running out of eggs & breadcrumbs mix so the slices from the top 1/3 of one of them got set aside for another meal...I still had plenty for 2 layers though. Everyone loved it!!! Thank you for sharing!
Ashley on 2026-03-15 16:36:18 (5 stars): This was absolutely delicious! The panko mixture, the marinara sauce, everything worked together to make one extraordinary dish. My partner initially said he didn't want to eat much and then went back for seconds. Thank you for this great recipe!
Carla on 2026-02-12 22:01:33 (5 stars): Fantastic recipe!!! Always great and everyone loves to eat it! I add some fresh garlic to it. Thank you!!!
Lanae on 2026-02-07 16:27:59 (5 stars): I have a Wolf convection-steam combi oven and LOVE it. I have the first step of the recipe in it now on convection setting for 15 min on 2 trays at 375. Looking forward to combining the slices of crispy eggplant into one pan with sauce and cheese and change the setting to convection-humid to get the cheese to melt and brown, probably at 385 for 15 min. It smells delightful already! Im optimistic that it'll turn out fantastic so already rating it 5 stars! Thanks for putting this out to the world!
christopher on 2026-02-01 10:27:42 (5 stars): Made this dish a few days ago and it was fabulous; so much so, that I just made it again, but after assembling it, I divided it into smaller portions and popped them, unbaked, into the freezer for quick single dinners. Thanks for the great recipe.
Wayne on 2026-01-30 11:05:29 (5 stars): Great taste! This one is a keeper though I'll have to do a metric conversion next time.
I've forgotten what slices of a 1/4 of an inch were after living in Denmark for the last many years, which made me also throw in an extra can of tomatoes just in case. Glad I did.
