What is Eggplant Parmesan?
Eggplant Parmesan is an Italian main dish, sans pasta, which is made with slices of eggplant that is coated in flour, eggwash and breadcrumbs, then shallow fried to golden perfection. It is then quickly baked in the oven with marinara sauce and Parmesan.
My recipe for Eggless Eggplant Parmesan
My recipe for the Eggless Eggplant Parmesan has two main advantages:
NO SHALLOW FRYING: The eggplant slices, once coated in flour, milk mixture and breadcrumbs, are baked to golden perfection in the oven at a high temperature. I use cooking spray so that they get that golden color. This works better than shallow frying the eggplant slices. PLUS you are using less to no oil as well!
NO EGGS : with the exorbitant prices of eggs in the market, using eggs has definitely reduced in our home. So I am always looking for ways to not use eggs in my recipes. This recipe does not use eggs for dredging the eggplant slices. Instead of eggs, I use a mixture of milk and heavy cream for the breadcrumbs to adhere to the slice.
I have been loving seeing so many shades of green at the farmers’ market, what with all the green peas, leeks, fennel, asparagus, green garlic and more that’s now in season.
That inspired me to share my Spring Green Soup with you. It’s a simple, light, super healthy soup. I used to make a version of it for my kids when they were little as a way of getting good, nutritious vegetables into their little tummies. (Scrambled eggs with spinach also worked!) I would read the Dr. Seuss book “Green Eggs and Ham” while they ate this soup, paired with cheesy toast.
What are the ingredients of the Eggless Eggplant Parmesan?
The ingredients of the Eggless Eggplant Parmesan are:
- Italian eggplants: Italian eggplants are long but roundish as well, so you have more surface area per slice as compared to the slender eggplants like the Japanese eggplants.
- All purpose flour
- Heavy cream + milk
- Panko breadcrumbs : You can make this entire dish gluten free by using gluten free panko breadcrumbs that are linked here. I use the normal panko breadcrumbs.
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- Red chilli flakes
- A whole garlic bulb : this is totally optional but I do love a garlicky marinara sauce. So I roast the whole garlic bulb along with the eggplant slices while it is baking. Once cooled, I remove the garlic cloves and simply crush them and add it to the marinara. The roasted garlic cloves become soft and almost melt into the sauce.
- Jarred tomato sauce : I use Rao’s Marinara, but feel free to use your favorite jarred marinara
- Mozzarella and Parmesan
- Herbs like fresh parsley and basil
How to get the eggplant rounds into crispy golden perfection?
The eggplant rounds for the Eggless Eggplant Parmesan are sliced about ⅓ inch thick. Setup an assembly line for the all purpose flour, heavy cream and milk mixture and finally the panko breadcrumbs in 3 different bowls. I use tongs to move from one bowl to the next. You can use a fork or simply your fingers to do the same. It is slightly messy but so worth the NO shallow frying.
I use baking sheets with parchment paper that are sprayed with cooking spray. Then I place the eggplant rounds onto the baking sheet, and spray them on the top with cooking spray as well.
I bake them in the oven for around 35 to 40 minutes at 420 degrees and flip the eggplant slices over to evenly bake the slices. Be sure to spray cooking spray once you flip the eggplant slices.
Assembly of the Eggless Eggplant Parmesan
You can use any baking dish you like. I have a 10×10 baking dish that works best for the eggless eggplant Parmesan or any kind of lasagnas. I coat it with cooking spray. Then ladle a cup of the marinara sauce, and start assembly of the baked eggplant slices, marinara and a combination of the Mozzarella and Parmesan.
Repeat the process until the eggplant slices are all used up. You want to finally end with the cheese. Cover with the aluminum foil and bake for half an hour. Remove the foil and broil for about 2 minutes to brown the top.
Remove from the oven, cool it for a few minutes, garnish with fresh herbs like parsley and basil, and serve immediately with some good bread and side salad.
Where can I find panko breadcrumbs?
- I use the normal panko breadcrumbs that you can find on Amazon or you can find it at any Asian grocery store. Feel free to use Italian breadcrumbs as well. I personally like panko breadcrumbs because they are lighter than the Italian breadcrumbs.
- You can make this entire dish gluten free by using gluten free panko breadcrumbs that are linked here.
How do I serve the Eggless Eggplant Parmesan?
- The eggless eggplant parmesan is best served with a side salad and some good toasted garlic bread.
How can I store the leftovers?
- The leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for upto 2 days.
Can I freeze the unbaked eggless eggplant parmesan?
- You can assemble the eggplant Parmesan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for upto a month. Thaw the mixture for a day in the fridge prior to baking in the oven.
What kind of jarred marinara sauce can I use?
- I use Rao’s Marinara, but feel free to use your favorite jarred marinara sauce. I add a whole roasted garlic bulb in the marinara because it gives an intense, beautiful garlicky flavor to the eggplant parmesan.
Other dinner recipes that you can find on my blog are:
If you do make this recipe, please do not forget to tag #thejamlab on Instagram and/or leave a comment on this blog post.
XO
Amisha
Eggless Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
Baked eggplant rounds
- 2 Italian eggplants, about 10 inches long, cut into ⅓ inch rounds
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole milk + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups panko crumbs
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
- A whole garlic bulb
Other Ingredients
- 1 28 ounce jar of tomato sauce
- 1 garlic bulb, covered in an aluminum foil
- 3 to 4 cups of grated mozzarella
- 1 cup of grated Parmesan
Garnish
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped basil
Equipment
- 9×12 inch baking dish or a 10×10 inch square baking dish
- Serve with a side salad and garlic bread
Get Recipe Ingredients
Baked eggplant rounds
- Preheat the oven to 420 degrees.
- Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, sprayed with olive oil all over. Set aside.
- Prepare an assembly line of 3 bowls : 1) with the all purpose flour, 2) with the milk + heavy cream 3) with the panko crumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, pepper and chilli flakes combined.
- Using tongs, place an eggplant round in the flour, cover completely, and shake off excess. Place it in the milk mixture and cover completely. Shake off excess. Place it in the panko mixture and dredge it until well covered.
- Place the eggplant on the baking sheet.
- Repeat the process for all the eggplant rounds.
- Spray olive oil spray all over the eggplant rounds.
- Place in the oven for about 35 to 40 minutes, until lightly browned, turning all the rounds at the half way mark. Be sure to spray cooking spray onto the flipped side as well.
- At the same time, place the garlic bulb as well on one of the baking sheets.
- Remove once the rounds are lightly browned.
Assembly
- Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
- Cool the garlic completely. Remove the garlic cloves from the bulb into a small bowl. Using a fork, crush it completely to form a paste. Add it to the marinara sauce that has been poured into a medium bowl and mix until well combined.
- Spray olive oil spray onto the baking dish.
- Ladle about a cup of marinara sauce onto the dish and spread it to evenly distribute.
- Lay the baked eggplant serially on the baking dish.
- Sprinkle ¼ cup of the Parmesan evenly on top of the eggplant.
- Next sprinkle about 1 cup of the mozzarella.
- Repeat the layers 2 to 3 more times until all the eggplant rounds, sauce and cheese are used up. Cover with the aluminum foil so as not to brown the top.
- Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, until the sauce starts bubbling. Remove the foil.
- Broil for about 2 minutes to lightly brown the top.
- Remove and cool for about 10 minutes.
- Garnish with the parsley and the basil.
- Serve immediately with a side salad and garlic bread.
Note
- Cut the top and the bottom of the eggplants so that you can get more evenish rounds.
- The leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for upto 2 days.
- You can assemble the eggplant Parmesan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for upto a month. Thaw the mixture for a day in the fridge prior to baking in the oven.
Notes
Where can I find panko breadcrumbs?
- I use the normal panko breadcrumbs that you can find on Amazon or you can find it at any Asian grocery store. Feel free to use Italian breadcrumbs as well. I personally like panko breadcrumbs because they are lighter than the Italian breadcrumbs.
- You can make this entire dish gluten free by using gluten free panko breadcrumbs that are linked here.
How do I serve the Eggless Eggplant Parmesan?
- The eggless eggplant parmesan is best served with a side salad and some good toasted garlic bread.
How can I store the leftovers?
- The leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for upto 2 days.
Can I freeze the unbaked eggless eggplant parmesan?
- You can assemble the eggplant Parmesan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for upto a month. Thaw the mixture for a day in the fridge prior to baking in the oven.
What kind of jarred marinara sauce can I use?
- I use Rao’s Marinara, but feel free to use your favorite jarred marinara sauce. I add a whole roasted garlic bulb in the marinara because it gives an intense, beautiful garlicky flavor to the eggplant parmesan.
