I love a parmigiana – or a parma as it’s affectionately known here in Melbourne – whether it be chicken or eggplant. There is something so satisfying about the crispy crunchy breadcrumbs met with a flavourful tomato sauce all topped with gooey melted cheese – absolute perfection.
But how can you make a vegetarian eggplant parm even easier to make? Remove the need to fry! This recipe is super simple to make and combines all of the highlights of a traditional fried eggplant parm with none of the dredging, breading and frying involved.
How to Make Eggplant Parm without Frying
Because there is no frying involved, you do need to roast the eggplant prior to assembling the entire parmigiana and baking again.
This helps develop flavour, limits moisture and ensures that your eggplant parm is completely cooked through.
Start by slicing your eggplant and then sprinkling the slices generously with salt. Allow the eggplant slices to sit at room temperature for a little bit – this helps to draw out the moisture and evenly season the eggplant.
After about 10 minutes, you’ll notice a fair amount of water collecting on the eggplant. Go ahead and dab that off with some paper towels and then use a pastry brush to brush the eggplant with some olive oil. Move to a hot oven for about 15 minutes – just until it’s golden and soft.
While the eggplant is roasting, make the sauce. Add some olive oil and chili flakes to a small saucepan and set over medium heat.
Once shimmering, add some minced garlic and cook until just fragrant. Then, add in some tomato paste and dried oregano and cook for another couple of minutes.
Then, pour over some pureed canned whole tomatoes. Season with some salt and toss in a couple of sprigs of basil. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
Allow the sauce to simmer while the eggplant roasts and you get the rest of the parm elements together.
The final component that needs to be made before assembly is the garlic breadcrumbs – which are not too different from the ones I use to top my mac and cheese!
Add a bit of olive oil to a skillet and set over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add some minced garlic and cook until just fragrant before adding some panko breadcrumbs.
Cook the breadcrumbs until they’re nice and toasty then remove them from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
Now it’s time to assemble! Remove the basil sprigs from the sauce and discard. Then, spoon a bit of sauce to cover the bottom of a baking dish.
Arrange a layer of eggplant slices over the sauce and spoon even more sauce over the eggplant. Then, top that with some grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese (yes, this resembles baked ziti!).
Top with more eggplant, sauce and cheese and repeat until you’ve used up everything. Then, top with your garlic breadcrumbs!
Move the eggplant parm to the oven and cook until the top is deeply golden, the cheese is melted and gooey and the sauce is bubbling – this will take about fifteen minutes.
Once it’s done comes the hardest part – waiting 5-10 minutes before cutting into it and serving! But it does need a little bit of time to cool to be able to get proper slices from the parm.
Eggplant Parm without Frying
Ingredients
- 2-3 medium eggplants cut into 1cm (½in) slices
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided
- ½ tsp chili flakes
- 5 cloves garlic minced, divided
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- 1 (400g/14oz) can whole peeled tomatoes pureed until smooth
- 1-2 sprigs basil plus more for garnish
- 50 g (1 cup) panko breadcrumbs
- 50 g (½ cup) parmesan cheese grated
- 50 g (½ cup) low-moisture mozzarella cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F. Arrange the eggplant slices across a rimmed baking tray and sprinkle generously with salt. Set aside.
- Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a small saucepan along with the chili flakes. Set over medium heat. Once shimmering, add 4 cloves of the garlic and cook until fragrant – about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and dried oregano. Cook for 2-3 minutes, just to darken the tomato paste.
- Pour over the pureed tomatoes and add the basil sprigs. Stir in ¼ tsp of salt and season with black pepper. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer while the eggplant is being prepped.
- Pat the eggplant slices dry with paper towels. Brush both sides with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and set on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden and soft – about 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil to a large skillet and set over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add the remaining clove of garlic and cook until fragrant – about 30 seconds. Add the panko breadcrumbs and toss until lightly toasted, 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Remove the tomato sauce from the heat and fish out the basil sprigs. Spoon enough sauce to lightly coat the bottom of a 20cm (8in) square baking dish. Add a single layer of roasted eggplant on top of the sauce. Top the eggplant with more sauce and a layer of the parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Repeat with more eggplant, sauce and cheese.
- Top the final layer with the garlic breadcrumbs. Move to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the mixture is bubbling – about 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
And that’s it! Making a baked eggplant parmesan without frying is super simple and this recipe really leaves nothing to be desired! Packed with cheese, Italian herbs and great texture, this is sure to be a popular dinner option.
Are you after a great eggplant parmigiana recipe? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!
