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My skillet eggplant parmesan is made with crispy golden eggplant layered in a cast iron skillet with marinara, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. The recipe itself is very simple, it just requires some prep work upfront for the best results. Let’s make the best eggplant parmesan you’ve ever made!
Delicious eggplant parmesan is very hard to beat. Fried eggplant has unbeatable flavor and texture. It also has so much more flavor than chicken, making it a fierce competitor with skillet chicken parmesan. The best part of this recipe is you can fry your eggplant and bake it all in the same skillet for less cleanup.
If you want more Italian favorites, you can’t beat sausage stuffed shells and another great oven bake is spaghetti and meatballs. Add a fun twist by stuffing the chicken parm into a calzone. If you enjoyed this recipe, also try my skillet lasagna.
Table of Contents
The Secret to the Best Eggplant Parmesan
Eggplant parmesan all comes down to how the eggplant is prepped. It’s very important to thinly slice the eggplant and remove as much excess moisture as possible. This is the key to tender, flavorful eggplant that isn’t spongy or soggy.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Large eggplant: the most important step is to thinly slice the eggplant so it’s not too thick (about 1/4 inch). Some recipes call for the skin removed, but I’ve always left it on.
- Unseasoned breadcrumbs: look for regular breadcrumbs and not panko crumbs for best results. I prefer unseasoned but seasoned is OK too.
- Marinara or tomato sauce: for jarred, I prefer Rao’s, otherwise, I highly recommend you make a homemade sauce using this foolproof tomato sauce recipe.
- Parmesan cheese: I always recommend a block of parmesan that is freshly grated. Invest in a microplane for the easiest/best results. Pregrated cheeses aren’t as fresh and won’t melt as nicely.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese: I prefer shredded mozzarella in between the layers of eggplant but sometimes I will finish with fresh mozzarella or fresh mozzarella pearls on the top layer.
- Olive oil: my favorite oil for frying eggplant is olive oil. While not traditionally the best frying oil due to its lower smoke point, it adds unmatched flavor.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities below.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1.
Cut the eggplant into roughly 1/4 inch thick round slices (image 1a) and arrange over sheets of paper towel. You want the paper towel on each side of the eggplant (image 1b).
Step 2.
Sprinkle each side with a little salt to draw out the liquid. Let rest for 45-60 minutes. Press down with the paper towel at the end to soak up any remaining surface moisture. Paper towels will become noticeably saturated/transparent. This step is critical—do not skip it!
Step 3.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 4.
Combine breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs, on a plate and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and water and set aside. On another plate, spread the flour.
Step 5.
Coat the eggplant with the flour and shake off the excess (image 5a). Dip in the egg (let the excess drip off) (image 5b), and then fully coat with the breadcrumb mixture, patting with your fingers to ensure the breadcrumbs adhere (image 5c). Repeat with all slices and set aside until ready to fry.
Step 6.
Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. You want enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan by 1/4+ inch. Add the eggplant in batches and sauté until golden brown and crispy (about 30-45 seconds per side). Remove the eggplant and place it on a baking sheet to rest until the next step. The eggplant may brown faster as the oil continues to heat. You may need to add more oil halfway as it’s absorbed.
Step 7.
Turn off the heat and let the skillet cool for about 5 minutes. Use a paper towel to give the skillet a quick wipe, soaking up any excess oil and burnt chunks from the eggplant.
Step 8.
Layer the bottom of the skillet with 1 cup of tomato sauce. Add a layer of eggplant, filling as much of the bottom of the pan as possible with no overlap (image 8a). Top with a 1/2 cup of marinara (image 8b), then 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, and 1 cup mozzarella cheese (image 8c).
Step 9.
Repeat by creating the second layer starting with eggplant, 1/2 cup of marinara, 1/4 cup of parmesan, and finish with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
Step 10.
Place in the oven and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until cheese starts to bubble and slightly brown on the top. You can finish with a quick broil at the very end for a little charred cheese if you prefer, just note it will brown FAST. Let cool for 5 minutes, garnish with fresh basil and parsley if desired, and serve with pasta if desired.
Expert Tips
- Draining excess water from eggplant is the most critical step when making eggplant parmesan. It’s the difference between crispy and melt-in-your-mouth eggplant versus spongy and tasting like you’re eating a vegetable. This is done by sprinkling the sliced eggplant with salt to extract the water.
- Eggplant should be thinly sliced and layered. Shoot for about 1/4 inch thick slices. A little thicker is OK. The result will be 2 layers of thinly sliced eggplant layered with tomato sauce and cheese, rather than one thick single layer of eggplant.
- Always mix parmesan cheese in with the breadcrumbs. Layer with extra parmesan cheese and plenty of mozzarella cheese before baking. You want a solid layer of melted cheese to nearly cover each piece of crispy eggplant.
- Always sauté/crisp the eggplant in olive oil. No substitutes here. Olive oil will add tremendous flavor to the eggplant and will help give your eggplant that much-desired texture.
- The eggplant may brown faster as the oil continues to heat. Turn the heat down as needed. You will likely need to add a little more oil halfway through as it’s absorbed.
More Italian Classics
Enjoy this recipe? If you made this recipe, please leave a ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments!
Easy Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti or linguine, optional
- 1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices (or 2 medium eggplants)
- 24 ounces marinara or tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 cups unseasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 cup coarsely grated/shredded parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup for breading, plus 1/2 cup for topping
- 8 ounce bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced (plus more for garnish)
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced (plus more for garnish)
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Cut the eggplant into roughly 1/4 inch thick round slices and arrange over sheets of paper towel. You want the paper towel on each side of the eggplant.
- Sprinkle each side with a little salt to draw out the liquid. Let rest for 45-60 minutes. Press down with the paper towel at the end to soak up any remaining surface moisture. Paper towels will become noticeably saturated/transparent. This step is critical—do not skip it!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Combine breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs, on a plate and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and water and set aside. On another plate, spread the flour.
- Coat the eggplant with the flour and shake off the excess. Dip in the egg (let excess drip), and then fully coat with the breadcrumb mixture, patting with your fingers to ensure the breadcrumbs adhere. Repeat with all slices and set aside until ready to fry.
- Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. You want enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan by 1/4+ inch. Add the eggplant in batches and sauté until golden brown and crispy (about 30-45 seconds per side). Remove the eggplant and place it on a baking sheet to rest until the next step. The eggplant may brown faster as the oil continues to heat. You may need to add more oil halfway as it's absorbed.
- Turn off the heat and let the skillet cool for about 5 minutes. Use a paper towel to give the skillet a quick wipe, soaking up any excess oil and burnt chunks from the eggplant.
- Layer the bottom of the skillet with 1 cup of tomato sauce. Add a layer of eggplant, filling as much of the bottom of the pan as possible with no overlap. Top with a 1/2 cup of marinara, then 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. You can cut the eggplant in half around the perimeter so it fits more snugly if you prefer.
- Repeat by creating the second layer starting with eggplant, 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, 1/4 cup of parmesan, and finish with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Place in the oven and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until cheese starts to bubble and slightly brown on the top. You can finish with a quick broil at the very end for a little charred cheese if you prefer, just note it will brown FAST. Let cool for 5 minutes, garnish with fresh basil and parsley if desired, and serve with pasta if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
