Lighter and Easier Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
I love eggplant parmesan, but restaurant versions are way too oily and leave me with a heavy feeling in my stomach. This version is not only much lighter, but faster and easier too. In the summer, I often make a quick fresh tomato sauce which can save you $$$ over buying a good one at the store. I’ll give you this recipe too which you can use over pasta or spaghetti squash. If you see “seconds” at the tomato stands at the farmers market, you can take advantage of them for this sauce or anything that calls for cooked tomatoes.
I love this eggplant parmesan as a hearty main dish with a salad in the summer and I also use this recipe as a vehicle for adding in leftover cooked veggies like sautéed greens, mushrooms or even swapping in roasted zucchini for the eggplant.
Why you’ll love this eggplant parmesan recipe
- Easier than traditional eggplant parmesan;
- Not as oily and heavy as traditional eggplant parmesan;
- Great recipe for adding leftover cooked veggies;
- Flexible to make gluten-free or even vegan!
Ingredients
- Eggplant – I use 2 medium eggplants. When shopping for eggplant, look for ones with green tops and firm skin. Apparently the bottom of the eggplant gives you a clue of how seedy they are. I don’t peel the eggplant for this recipe. I just don’t think it’s necessary, but you can if you prefer.
- Mushrooms – you can boost this recipe with cooked mushrooms or other leftover cooked veggies.
- Olive oil – use an unrefined olive oil for best flavor.
- Tomatoes or Store bought Tomato Sauce – you can use fresh tomatoes and make a homemade tomato sauce or use a store-bought tomato sauce. My family loves Raos.
- Fresh basil – I like using fresh basil for garnish.
- Breadcrumbs – you can use fresh or panko breadcrumbs. I use them to top the casserole. I suggest broiling the casserole at the end (for a few seconds) for a nice golden brown color.
- Parmesan – I add a little parmesan to the breadcrumbs and it’s so good!
- Mozzarella – I used shredded mozzarella because that’s what I had, but you can use sliced mozzarella as well.
How to make eggplant parmesan
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with a layer of paper towels and arrange eggplant in one layer over the paper towels. Sprinkle the tops of the eggplant with kosher salt and allow to sit and sweat out for 30 minutes. If you don’t have time, just skip this step, but it does take some of the bitterness out of the eggplant.
- In the meantime, sauté mushrooms (if using) in a large skillet with 2 Tablespoons of oil. Cook until mushrooms have released their moisture and are golden brown, about 6-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Make fresh tomato sauce (or use jarred): Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the tomatoes and turn the heat off. Blanch for 30 seconds or until skin starts to curl where you made the X. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, core and peel skin off. Cut through the “equator” of the tomato (not through the core) and gently squeeze out the seeds. It’s ok if they don’t all come out. Chop the tomatoes coarsely.
- In a large skillet, warm enough olive oil to cover the bottom with a thin layer, about 3-4 Tablespoons. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until a little thicker and the tomatoes are broken down, about 10-15 minutes. Taste for salt and blend with an immersion blender until still a bit chunky but more like a sauce. Stir in basil. This can be done several days in advance.
- Blot the tops of the eggplant with a paper towel to remove the excess moisture. Remove eggplant from the baking sheet and line with unbleached parchment paper. You’ll need about 2 baking sheets. Brush both sides of the eggplant with ¼ cup of olive oil and arrange in one layer on the prepared baking sheet(s). Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway, until the eggplant is golden brown and tender. LOWER OVEN TEMPERATURE TO 350 DEGREES.
- In a medium bowl, toss breadcrumbs with ¼ cup of olive oil. If the breadcrumbs have no flavor, add a pinch of salt. You can also add a handful of grated parmesan cheese if you want.
- Spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish or equivalent**. Arrange one layer of cooked eggplant over the sauce. It can overlap a little. Scatter a layer of mushrooms on top, if using. Spread another layer of tomato sauce over the vegetables. Repeat with eggplant and more mushrooms and sauce. Place the slices of mozzarella on top and then cover with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake for 15 minutes, until ingredients are warmed through and cheese is melted. If your breadcrumb topping is not golden brown, you can broil the top for a few seconds until golden.
Tips
- I like to sweat out the eggplant slices with salt before roasting them to extract some of their moisture. It’s also supposed to help take away some of the bitterness. If you don’t have extra time to do this, feel free to skip this step.
- You can layer other cooked vegetables with the eggplant.
- Add parmesan cheese to the breadcrumbs for an extra flavor boost.
- Broil the casserole for a few seconds after the cheese is melted if you want a golden brown topping.
Substitutions
- Eggplant – zucchini or summer squash
- Breadcrumbs – GF breadcrumbs
- Mozzarella – plant-based mozzarella (violife) or my faux cheese (see notes)
Other recipes you may like
* Vegetarian Eggplant Meatballs
*Layered Summer Vegetable Torte
*”Lasagna-style” Stuffed Mushrooms
*Deconstructed Stuffed Cabbage Casserole
*Oven Baked Giant Beans with Tomato, Dill and Feta
*Hearty Vegetable Vegan Lasagna
If you give this eggplant parmesan recipe a try, snap a pic and tag @pamelasalzman so I can see your beautiful creations. I also really appreciate readers taking the time to leave a rating and review! Subscribe for free to my site for the latest recipes, updates and things I’m loving lately. If you enjoy this recipe, I taught it last year in my online class! Give me an hour a month, and I’ll make you a better, healthier cook!
View this post on Instagram
Lighter and Easier Eggplant Parmesan
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants, about 1 ¼ pounds each, unpeeled, stem removed, sliced into ¼-inch thick slices*
- Kosher salt
- Unrefined olive oil
- Optional: 1 pound mushrooms, such as cremini or shiitake, wiped clean with a damp paper towel and thinly sliced
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 pounds tomatoes, about 4 large tomatoes, make a small X on the bottom of each OR 14 ounces store-bought marinara sauce
- 3 medium cloves of garlic, chopped
- Pinch of crushed red pepper
- Small handful of fresh basil leaves (leave whole if small, otherwise tear into pieces if large)
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs or panko
- Optional: handful of grated parmesan cheese
- 6 slices of pre-sliced mozzarella or 8 ounces shredded mozzarella (can be plant based)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with a layer of paper towels and arrange eggplant in one layer over the paper towels. Sprinkle the tops of the eggplant with kosher salt and allow to sit and sweat out for 30 minutes. If you don’t have time, just skip this step, but it does take some of the bitterness out of the eggplant.
- In the meantime, sauté mushrooms (if using) in a large skillet with 2 Tablespoons of oil. Cook until mushrooms have released their moisture and are golden brown, about 6-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Make fresh tomato sauce (or use jarred): Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the tomatoes and turn the heat off. Blanch for 30 seconds or until skin starts to curl where you made the X. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, core and peel skin off. Cut through the “equator” of the tomato (not through the core) and gently squeeze out the seeds. It’s ok if they don’t all come out. Chop the tomatoes coarsely.
- In a large skillet, warm enough olive oil to cover the bottom with a thin layer, about 3-4 Tablespoons. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until a little thicker and the tomatoes are broken down, about 10-15 minutes. Taste for salt and blend with an immersion blender until still a bit chunky but more like a sauce. Stir in basil. This can be done several days in advance.
- Blot the tops of the eggplant with a paper towel to remove the excess moisture. Remove eggplant from the baking sheet and line with unbleached parchment paper. You’ll need about 2 baking sheets. Brush both sides of the eggplant with ¼ cup of olive oil and arrange in one layer on the prepared baking sheet(s). Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway, until the eggplant is golden brown and tender. LOWER OVEN TEMPERATURE TO 350 DEGREES.
- In a medium bowl, toss breadcrumbs with ¼ cup of olive oil. If the breadcrumbs have no flavor, add a pinch of salt. You can also add a handful of grated parmesan cheese if you want.
- Spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish or equivalent**. Arrange one layer of cooked eggplant over the sauce. It can overlap a little. Scatter a layer of mushrooms on top, if using. Spread another layer of tomato sauce over the vegetables. Repeat with eggplant and more mushrooms and sauce. Place the slices of mozzarella on top and then cover with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake for 15 minutes, until ingredients are warmed through and cheese is melted. If your breadcrumb topping is not golden brown, you can broil the top for a few seconds until golden.
Notes
*If you slice the eggplant lengthwise, I like to peel the skin from the ends so it’s easier to cut into when serving.
For a richer tomato sauce, you can add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste to the sauce.
**the volume of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish is 117 square inches. Something equivalent is a 12-inch round skillet, which has a volume of 113 square inches. Another option that comes close is 2 9-inch square baking dishes which have a TOTAL volume of 127 square inches.
Instead of mushrooms, you can omit or swap in sautéed spinach.
Faux cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped shallot
1 cup (about 7 ounces) chopped Yukon Gold potato (you can leave the peel on if you have a high-powered blender)
1/3 cup chopped yellow onion
¼ cup raw cashews*
¾ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon garlic, minced (about 1 medium-size clove)
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter or vegan butter
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons tapioca starch (arrowroot is next best choice, but otherwise no swaps- this is the key to the stretchiness)
1. In a medium-size saucepan, combine the chopped shallot, potato, onion, cashews and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.
2. Place the salt, garlic, butter, and mustard in a blender (preferably a high-powered one) or food processor. Add the softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender or food processor and process until perfectly smooth.
3. Transfer mixture back to saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. Whisk in tapioca starch until mixture is well combined and thickened, about 2 minutes. This is best used when it is freshly made. It will thicken more when it cools. Or if it has been refrigerated, use it like mozzarella cheese on a lasagna or Monterey Jack in a quesadilla or on a burger. Refrigerate and use within 5 days.
*you can swap raw cashew butter for the raw cashews and add to Step 2 instead.
For a richer tomato sauce, you can add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste to the sauce.
**the volume of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish is 117 square inches. Something equivalent is a 12-inch round skillet, which has a volume of 113 square inches. Another option that comes close is 2 9-inch square baking dishes which have a TOTAL volume of 127 square inches.
Instead of mushrooms, you can omit or swap in sautéed spinach.
Faux cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped shallot
1 cup (about 7 ounces) chopped Yukon Gold potato (you can leave the peel on if you have a high-powered blender)
1/3 cup chopped yellow onion
¼ cup raw cashews*
¾ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon garlic, minced (about 1 medium-size clove)
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter or vegan butter
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons tapioca starch (arrowroot is next best choice, but otherwise no swaps- this is the key to the stretchiness)
1. In a medium-size saucepan, combine the chopped shallot, potato, onion, cashews and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.
2. Place the salt, garlic, butter, and mustard in a blender (preferably a high-powered one) or food processor. Add the softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender or food processor and process until perfectly smooth.
3. Transfer mixture back to saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. Whisk in tapioca starch until mixture is well combined and thickened, about 2 minutes. This is best used when it is freshly made. It will thicken more when it cools. Or if it has been refrigerated, use it like mozzarella cheese on a lasagna or Monterey Jack in a quesadilla or on a burger. Refrigerate and use within 5 days.
*you can swap raw cashew butter for the raw cashews and add to Step 2 instead.
6 Comments
Hi Pamela! Can you clarify, “LOWER OVEN TEMPERATURE TO 350 DEGREES.” Is this done after flipping the eggplant or before the casserole dish goes in?
Lower the temp after the eggplant is out of the oven and before the casserole goes in. Essentially, the eggplant is first cooked at a higher temp and the casserole is cooked at 350.
This recipe is wonderful. I subbed small light green-colored zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. It was so good. Jarred sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese. Delicious and you feel so good after eating! Thanks, Pamela.
Yum! That sounds amazing and so much easier than traditional eggplant parmesan. Thank you for sharing Betsy 🙂
I had my six year-old granddaughter over and she actually ate this without any issues – hooray! I was going to use mushrooms, but they went bad before I could use them, so used spinach instead. Very good!
That’s fantastic! Love that you added spinach to this. Thank you for sharing Meri.