Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Classic eggplant parmesan is delicious and a huge amount of work — three pans of frying, a mountain of paper towels, oil everywhere. This baked version keeps everything I love about the original and drops the mess.

The trick to keeping the eggplant crisp under the sauce is baking the slices first until they're properly golden, then layering them quickly so they don't have time to steam.

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Lay the eggplant slices on a rack, salt both sides, and leave for 20 minutes. Pat dry.
2. Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Set up three bowls: flour, egg, and panko mixed with the parmesan and oregano.
3. Coat each slice in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Arrange on two oiled baking sheets, spray the tops with oil, and bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and crisp.
4. Warm the passata with the garlic, olive oil and a pinch of salt for 5 minutes.
5. Layer sauce, eggplant, mozzarella and torn basil in a baking dish, finishing with cheese on top. Bake for 15 minutes until bubbling and golden. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Cooking tips

• Salting draws out water, which is why the finished dish isn't soggy. Don't skip it.
• Panko gives a much crisper crust than regular breadcrumbs — worth the pantry space.
• Serve over pasta or with a green salad and good bread for mopping.

More like this

If you enjoyed this recipe, you'll find more of my favourite main dishes recipes in the archive, or browse the full collection.