The Best Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

The Best Eggplant Parmesan RecipePhoto by: Taste of Home The Best Eggplant Parmesan Recipe Rating 5

“Truly delicious! I love eggplant and have many recipes, but this one's my favorite. The cheeses and seasonings make this dish unforgettable.” —Dottie Kilpatrick, Wilmington, North Carolina

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The Best Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
  • Prep: 1-1/4 hours Bake: 35 min. + standing
  • Yield: 16 Servings
75 35 110

Ingredients

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 cans (28 ounces each) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup pitted ripe olives, chopped
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves or 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 3 tablespoons capers, drained
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • EGGPLANT:
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 3 cups dry bread crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 4 small eggplants (about 1 pound each), peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • CHEESE:
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cartons (15 ounces each) ricotta cheese
  • 1-1/4 cups shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves or 2 tablespoons dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 8 cups (32 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

  • In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook garlic in oil for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, olives, basil, capers, pepper flakes and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 45-60 minutes or until thickened.
  • Meanwhile, for eggplant, place flour and eggs in separate shallow bowls. In another bowl, combine the bread crumbs, garlic powder and oregano. Dip eggplant in the flour, eggs, then bread crumb mixture.
  • In a large skillet, cook eggplant in batches in oil for 5 minutes on each side or until tender. Drain on paper towels. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, basil and pepper.
  • In each of two greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dishes, layer 1-1/2 cups tomato sauce, four eggplant slices, 1 cup ricotta mixture and 2 cups mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Sprinkle each with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Yield: 2 casseroles (8 servings each).

Nutritional Facts 1 piece equals 562 calories, 38 g fat (14 g saturated fat), 138 mg cholesterol, 778 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 29 g protein.

Originally published as The Best Eggplant Parmesan in Taste of Home October/November 2010, p36

Light-Bodied White Wine

Enjoy this recipe with a light-bodied white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.

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Reviews for The Best Eggplant Parmesan (13)

The Best Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

The Best Eggplant Parmesan

Tell us what you think of this recipe.
Did you modify it? Would you make it again? Rate it today! >


Reviewed on Dec. 23, 2011 by lildementedchef

yumm made a lot lol


Reviewed on Nov. 14, 2011 by PCAZ

We are not eggplant eaters, but since I planted some eggplant I thought I'd better figure out how to cook a recipe we would like. This one caught my eye because of the capers - we LOVE them. I found the time long to make this - but what the heck - I was free that day and BOY was it worth it. My sister & I were sharing so we put in containers & froze some. Hope they come out OK. We added only 2 things, because my husband likes meat, so we put in a couple of hot italian sausages crumbled up, and I don't seem to have good luck with bread crumbs sticking so we used a tip we heard and added a couple tablespoons potatoe flakes to the bread crumbs. WOW - did that every help - OH and we also used half panko crumbs and half bread crumbs. ANYWAY - HOORAY - IT is a WINNER for us.


Reviewed on Nov. 03, 2011 by carolanne1210

This is almost identical to my ages-old recipe, but I never thought to add olives and capers. Inspired idea...delicious!


Reviewed on Aug. 06, 2011 by acosully

this was my first time cooking with eggplant and it was so delicious that it earned me a facebook shoutout from my brothers :) making it again tonight for my bosses, thats how confident i am in the amazingness of this recipe!


Reviewed on Apr. 22, 2011 by rustedgold1

My family loved this recipe and i will certainly make it again when time allows! It's delicious!


Reviewed on Apr. 18, 2011 by Egavas21

I LOVE this recipe! Trying not to eat it all up. I made one casserole. I used Ragu instead of making the sauce. Looking forward to making again.


Reviewed on Jan. 10, 2011 by youweremyfav22

I also just made half of the recipe and it was so delicious! If you do decide to make just half I think only getting one eggplant is enough. Instead of cutting it length wise we cut it into circles and we ended up not needing the other eggplant. Other than that we stuck to the directions and were VERY pleased with the outcome. I am not a beginner cook but surely am not a great chef but that being said, even though this does take a little more prep time than usual, it is not difficult. This is sure to be a crowd pleaser at any meal!


Reviewed on Dec. 17, 2010 by raceywlf

wow! reading all the reviews, I can't wait to try it. I'm so glad I found it. thanks


Reviewed on Nov. 23, 2010 by Kimberlykirby

Absolutely delicious! It's not my normal "quick" dish, but it is well worth all the effort.


Reviewed on Nov. 15, 2010 by tlmtigger

It was totally awesome!

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