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BA’s Best Eggplant Parmesan

4.6

(186)

Topdown view of eggplant Parmesan in a baking dish with a few portions removed to plates.
Photograph by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Marc Williams

The mantra for this eggplant Parmesan recipe should be: “Good things take time.” Trust us. Your efforts will be rewarded the moment you pull this dish of breaded eggplant slathered in tangy tomato sauce with a crispy, cheesy top from the oven. Need some reassurance? One commenter proclaims: “This was by far the best eggplant dish I ever made.”

You can break the work into chunks over a couple of days. The homemade marinara sauce makes all the difference, so don’t swap it out for store-bought. This one is rich with tomato, wine, tons of garlic, and anchovies (the secret to everything) and can be made up to two days ahead; the flavors might even be better after a day of mingling. As for the fried eggplant and herby breadcrumb coating? Hold off making those until the day you plan to layer it all together.

If you wish to serve this eggplant parm in neat blocks with defined stratum, let it rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes after baking. Garnish with more fresh basil just before serving and pair it with a simple side dish like a classic Caesar salad with lots of shaved Parmigiano Reggiano.

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What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    4 hours 30 minutes

  • Yield

    12 servings

Ingredients

Marinara

¼

cup extra-virgin olive oil

1

head of garlic, cloves crushed

1

large red onion, chopped

3

oil-packed anchovy fillets (optional)

½

tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1

Tbsp. tomato paste

¼

cup dry white wine

2

(28-oz.) cans whole peeled tomatoes

¼

cup torn basil leaves

½

tsp. dried oregano

Kosher salt

Eggplant and Assembly

4

lb. Italian eggplants (about 4 medium eggplants), peeled, sliced lengthwise ½"–¾" thick

Kosher salt

3

cups panko breadcrumbs

tsp. dried oregano

1

tsp. freshly ground black pepper

cups finely grated Parmesan, divided

cups (187.5 g) all-purpose flour

5

large eggs, beaten to blend

1⅓

cups extra-virgin olive oil, divided

½

cup finely chopped basil and parsley, plus basil leaves for serving

6

oz. low-moisture mozzarella cheese, grated (about 1⅓ cups)

8

oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

Preparation

  1. Marinara

    Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350°. Place a Dutch oven or other large heavy ovenproof pot over medium heat. Add ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil and 1 head of garlic, cloves crushed, and cook, stirring often, until garlic is golden, about 4 minutes. Add 1 large red onion, chopped, 3 oil-packed anchovy fillets (if using), and ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 Tbsp. tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until slightly darkened, about 2 minutes. Add ¼ cup dry white wine, bring to a boil, and cook until almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute. Add two 28-oz. cans whole peeled tomatoes, breaking up with your hands, and their juices; add ¼ cup torn basil leaves and ½ tsp. dried oregano and stir to combine. Swirl 1½ cups water into one tomato can, then the other, to rinse, and add to pot; season with kosher salt. Transfer pot to oven; roast sauce, stirring halfway through, until thick and tomatoes are browned on top and around edges of pot, 2–2½ hours.

    Step 2

    Let sauce cool slightly. Pass through the large holes of a food mill or process in a food processor until mostly smooth. Taste and season with salt.

    Do Ahead: Sauce can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

  2. Eggplant and assembly

    Step 3

    Lightly season 4 lb. Italian eggplants (about 4 medium eggplants), peeled, sliced lengthwise ½"–¾" thick, all over with kosher salt; place in a single layer on several layers of paper towels inside a rimmed baking sheet. Top with another layer of paper towels and more slices; repeat as needed. Top with a final layer of paper towels, then another rimmed baking sheet; weigh down with a heavy pot. Let sliced eggplant sit until it has released excess liquid, 45–60 minutes. This step gives the eggplant a creamy texture when baked.

    Step 4

    Meanwhile, pulse 3 cups panko breadcrumbs, 1½ tsp. dried oregano, 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, and ¾ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese in a food processor until very finely ground. Transfer to a shallow bowl.

    Step 5

    Preheat oven to 350°. Place 1½ cups (187.5 g) all-purpose flour in another shallow bowl and 5 large eggs, beaten to blend, in a third shallow bowl. Working one at a time, dredge eggplant slices in flour, then dip in egg, allowing excess to drip off. Coat in breadcrumb mixture, packing all around, then shaking off excess. Place on wire racks.

    Step 6

    Heat ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high. Cook as many eggplant slices as will comfortably fit in pan, turning once, until deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels and immediately press with more paper towel to absorb oil. Working in batches, repeat with remaining eggplant, adding remaining ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil and wiping out skillet as needed. Let cool. Taste and season with more salt if needed.

    Step 7

    Toss ½ cup finely chopped basil and parsley, 6 oz. low-moisture mozzarella cheese, grated (about 1⅓ cups), and remaining ¾ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese in a medium bowl. Spread 1 cup sauce over the bottom of a 13x9" baking pan or casserole dish; top with a layer of roasted eggplant slices (trim as needed). Drizzle 1 cup sauce over and sprinkle with one third of cheese mixture. Add another layer of eggplant, followed by 1 cup sauce and half of remaining cheese mixture. Repeat layers with remaining slices, sauce, and cheese mixture. Cover with foil and bake on a rimmed baking sheet until eggplant is custardy, 45–60 minutes.

    Step 8

    Remove from oven and arrange 8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced, over eggplant. Increase oven temperature to 425° and bake, uncovered, until cheese is bubbling and browned in spots, 15–20 minutes longer. Let rest 30 minutes. Top with basil leaves just before slicing.

    Do Ahead: Eggplant Parmesan can be baked 2 days ahead. Let cool; cover with foil and chill. Reheat in a 350° oven, uncovering halfway through, until bubbling gently at edges.

    Photograph by Travis Rainey, Prop Styling by Marc Williams, Food Styling Sean Dooley

    Editor’s note: This eggplant parm recipe was first printed in our October 2016 issue. Head this way for more of our favorite casserole recipes

Nutrition Per Serving

Calories (kcal) 620 Fat (g) 41 Saturated Fat (g) 11 Cholesterol (mg) 100 Carbohydrates (g) 45 Dietary Fiber (g) 5 Total Sugars (g) 9 Protein (g) 19 Sodium (mg) 640
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Reviews (186)

Back to TopTriangle
  • I should have trusted my instincts on this. I suspected the breading would get soggy, yet foolishly I made the dish anyway. Why go to all the trouble of getting crisp, delicious breading only to drown the whole thing in 6 cups of sauce and let it sit in the oven for at least 45 minutes? Indeed, the whole thing was a stodgy mess. Eggplant and chicken parm need to be lightly sauced at the last minute, otherwise what is the point of the breading?

    • Dianne Cowan

    • Cambridge MA

    • 4/10/2024

  • Really good… However, I prefer to do a layered eggplant parmigiana avoiding the frying, and instead grilling the slices on my charcoal grill (Big Green Egg). I then layer in a casserole dish like this. I’ll often make a ricotta and egg mixture for a layer too.

    • Cayenne

    • New Orleans

    • 11/5/2023

  • Good if you have all day to cook. The sauce alone easily takes three hours. Good sauce but not worth it. I used slightly smaller eggplants and after slicing and salting, which by the way is not necessary if the eggplants are fresh, ended up with too many tough to chew end pieces. Cooked an hour, and yet they were not cooked through. This recipe is too large. Enough for a restaurant, not a family. Will not make this again.

    • Anonymous

    • Greater NY area

    • 8/8/2023

  • Delicious eggplant parm is actually so much simpler to make than this. Disappointed with the unnecessary complexity.

    • Anonymous

    • New York

    • 1/27/2023

  • I've made this a couple of times now and it is truly superb. Even my husband, who doesn't like eggplant, goes for seconds. It does take some time to prep and put together, but the result is creamy and delectable. Can't wait for summer and fresh eggplant from the garden!

    • Joann

    • Nampa, ID

    • 12/17/2022

  • Good recipe. However I prefer not make a less greasy Eggplant Parmesan by leaving out the frying. You just use less eggs, mixed with some spoons of water and breadcrumbs/herbs/Parmesan- no flour. And no frying. Instead I put eggplant slices on baking sheet into hot oven and turn side after 20-25 minutes. It’s just as delicious and a tiny bit healthier.

    • Anonymous

    • Vienna

    • 10/8/2022

  • Everything about this is absolutely amazing. The roasted marinara is a treasure in its own right, and the eggplant comes out with the perfect texture. This is my fourth or fifth time making it, and it took me just around three hours to get it into the oven—I start the marinara first, and the time it takes to roast gives me enough time to do the rest of the prep and a little cleanup. I can't get over how seriously delicious this is. Sooo worth it.

    • Nicole

    • Ann Arbor, MI

    • 8/15/2022