Roasted Eggplant Parmesan with Crispy Garlic Butter Breadcrumbs

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This Roasted Eggplant Parmesan is much lighter and easier to make than a traditional version. My crispy garlic-butter breadcrumbs provide so much flavor and texture, you won’t miss the fried eggplant.

Overhead view of a tray of eggplant parmesan on a dark wood surface surrounded by red wine and serving plates.

Why You Should Make This Eggplant Parmesan

I was inspired to make this riff on Eggplant Parmesan from the wonderful Allison Roman. Be sure to check out Allison’s recipe too! I used her method of roasting the eggplant and crisping up breadcrumbs over the stove, but made the sauce and breadcrumbs my own.

I decided to keep the anchovies (totally optional) in the recipe, but actually use them in the breadcrumbs rather than the sauce. I was apparently channeling Bobby Flay, as his anchovy breadcrumbs have made quite a few appearances in his cooking competitions.

I find this version of eggplant parm much quicker and easier to make than a traditional version, and also quite a bit lighter. Don’t get me wrong, I use a substantial amount of olive oil and a little butter, but there’s no frying involved and there isn’t a ton of cheese.

I enjoy the fact that there are great ooey-gooey pockets of mozzarella without it being too overwhelming and heavy. Because there’s not too much cheese, the breadcrumbs on top stay nice and crispy too! But be-ware. You can easily burn the breadcrumbs if you leave them under the broiler for too long. I admit when preparing this recipe for the shoot, I left the tray under the broiler a little longer than usual, and the breadcrumbs got dark in spots. But hey, it was still really delicious.

Ingredient Notes

Eggplant- I used 2 medium eggplants for this recipe which weight about 2lbs. If I used a large, globe eggplant, I may consider salting it to remove some of the bitterness.
Anchovies- If you’re not a fan, don’t run! The anchovies are totally optional, but provide a great depth of flavor and umami to the breadcrumbs. The sweetness and acidity of the tomatoes help balance out the flavors and make the anchovies a bit more difficult to detect.
Breadcrumbs- I’ve grown very attached to the texture of panko breadcrumbs, but standard breadcrumbs will work great too. Homemade breadcrumbs would also be great.

Overhead view of ingredients including eggplant, olive oil, canned tomatoes, mozarella, parmesan, panko breadcrumbs and garlic.

Recipe Steps

To start off this recipe, preheat the oven and roast off the eggplant (1,2). While the eggplant cooks, make the sauce (3,4). I like to use a good amount of garlic, basil and red pepper flakes in the sauce. While the sauce cooks, toast up the breadcrumbs. Start off with some butter, olive oil, garlic and anchovies (5), and finish the breadcrumbs with lemon zest and parsley for freshness (6).

6 step by step photos showing how to roast eggplant, make a tomato basil sauce and make the garlic butter breadcrumbs.

After you get each of the components ready, it’s time to layer everything into your baking dish. I make two layers, starting with tomato sauce, then eggplant, then breadcrumbs, parm and mozzarella (7-10). Before serving, allow it to cool slightly and then dig in!

Overhead view of 4 side-by-side pictures showing steps of layering eggplant parm.

Eggplant Parmesan Tips and FAQs

Weigh your eggplant at the grocery store. Regardless of what type of eggplant you use, the total weight should be around 2lbs.
If you’re preparing this for a get together, you can roast the eggplant and make the sauce the day before.
To save time, swap out your favorite jarred marinara for the homemade version.

Do you need to salt eggplant before making eggplant parmesan?

Eggplant Parmesan can come out great without salting the eggplant. If you’re concerned about the eggplant being bitter, use medium-sized eggplants rather than large ones.

How long does eggplant parm last in the fridge?

Eggplant parm lasts in the fridge for about 5-7 days. To reheat it, either place it in a microwave or reheat, covered in the oven.

Overhead closeup view of a tray of eggplant parm on a dark wood surface.

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Overhead view of a plate of eggplant parm with the serving tray on the left side and two glasses of red wine.

Roasted Eggplant Parmesan with Crispy Garlic Butter Breadcrumbs

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

Author: Sabrina Russo
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Ingredients

Scale

2 medium eggplants (about 2lbs), trimmed, peeled and sliced lengthwise (¼-1/2 inch thick)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

For sauce:

28 oz can whole, peeled tomatoes
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3–4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 sprigs of basil, plus more leaves for garnish
1–2 pinches hot red pepper flakes

For breadcrumbs:

1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2–3 anchovy fillets (optional)
Zest of 1 lemon
¼ cup finely chopped parsley

For layering:

8oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
½ cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese or domestic parmesan

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Instructions

Bake eggplant: Preheat oven to 450F. Divide sliced eggplant between 2 sheet trays. Drizzle each tray with 2 tablespoons of oil. Season with salt. Toss to coat evenly. Bake on upper and lower thirds of oven for 15 minutes. Rotate trays to opposite racks. Continue to bake for 10-15 minutes or until eggplant is tender. Keep oven on for baking the eggplant parm.
Make sauce: While eggplant roasts, cook the sauce. Add ¼ cup of oil, sliced garlic, basil sprigs and red pepper to a medium sized sauce pan. Turn heat to medium. Once garlic comes to a sizzle, add canned tomatoes. Season with salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 25-30 minutes or until sauce thickens and deepens in flavor. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Toast breadcrumbs: While sauce cooks, prepare the breadcrumbs. Add oil, butter, garlic and anchovies to a large pan. Turn heat to medium. Breakup anchovies as mixture heats up. Once butter melts and garlic starts to sizzle, add breadcrumbs to the pan. Season with salt. Stir to coat in oil/butter mixture. Toast breadcrumbs over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in lemon zest and chopped parsley.
Layer and bake: Gather a 9×13 inch baking dish. Spoon half of the tomato sauce into the bottom of the pan. Layer with half the roasted eggplant, followed by half the breadcrumbs, half the grated parmesan and half of the sliced mozzarella. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Bake, uncovered for 15-25 minute or until hot and bubbly. If mozzarella doesn’t brown as desired, place under broiler for about 2-4 minutes, taking care that the breadcrumbs don’t burn. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Top with basil leaves before serving. Enjoy.

Notes

I don’t find the need to salt the eggplant, but you might want to if you use 1 large globe eggplant instead of two medium sized ones. The larger eggplants with more seeds tend to be more bitter.

To save time, feel free to use your favorite store bought marinara.

Add more mozzarella for a thicker layer of cheese if desired.

You can make the sauce and roast the eggplant the day before assembling and baking, if desired.

Store in the fridge for up to 5-7 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.