Crispy Sheet Pan Eggplant Parmesan
Crispy Sheet Pan Eggplant Parmesan is my take on traditional eggplant parmigiana. The eggplant gets roasted and then mixed with a quick tomato sauce. It goes back into the skin and then studded with cubes of fresh mozzarella! To finish the eggplant is topped with breadcrumbs & parmesan cheese and baked to get that delicious crispy crunch! This Crispy Sheet Pan Eggplant Parmesan has all the components of the traditional dish, with just a fun twist!
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Eggplant Parmesan Is A Crowd Pleaser
Let me just start by saying I seriously love eggplant parmesan! It’s so good and satisfying, how can you not love this dish? Even if you don’t love eggplant, with the cheese, sauce, and breadcrumbs it’s a hard dish to hate in my opinion! When I first tested this Crispy Sheet Pan Eggplant Parmesan over the summer, it was after buying a quart of those cute baby eggplant at the Farmer’s Market! My boyfriend and I gobbled it up! Then, I just haven’t re-tested the recipe since!
Well on a recent trip to the store the eggplant was looking so gorgeous that I HAD to buy it! I knew it was time I make this again to finalize the recipe. I kept putting it off for later in the week that week, unsure of what day I wanted to make it. Lucky for me, my good friend, Zoe, was coming over one evening and I offered to make her dinner! Not going to lie, I thought she would say no because she’s too sweet and never let’s me do nice things for her. Well to my surprise she said yes!!! So I was so happy I waited until the end of the week to make this because she loved it just as much as I do.
No Frying Eggplant In My House
If you’re familiar with real eggplant parmigiana then you know the eggplant is breaded and fried traditionally. I love that method I really do! The problem is I try my hardest not to fry foods in my apartment. We seriously have the worst ventilation in the kitchen. It’s almost none, so anytime I fry anything it lingers in the apartment for at least a week! Here’s to hoping the next place we live has better ventilation, but until then I’ve had to adapt! Which is why I decided to do a baked eggplant parmesan. Now, why didn’t I just bread the eggplant and bake it in the oven you ask? The simple answer is I’m lazy. Haha, seriously I don’t enjoy the whole 3 stage breading process. So roasting on the sheet pan and finishing with breadcrumbs is my way around it.
Lot’s Of Waiting, Not A Lot Of Work!
Something I think that turns some people off from making a recipe is how long it can take. I will say no matter what method you use, fried or baked, eggplant parmesan isn’t a quick meal. With that being said, this version doesn’t mean it’s hard either! A lot of the time is waiting. First, your waiting on the eggplant to release the excess moisture. Thankfully you can fill that time with making the sauce. Then the sauce is simmering at the same time the eggplant is roasting. I used that time to get my salad ingredients chopped and ready. I always serve this dish with a fresh salad. After that comes the assembly and then it’s back into the oven to finish cooking. I use the remaining time to clean up. That way it doesn’t feel as long since you can do something the entire time.
Clean Up Is A Breeze
The last thing I’ll say about this Crispy Sheet Pan Eggplant Parmesan is that the clean up is easy! I use the same baking sheet for salting and cooking the eggplant. I also line the sheet pan with parchment paper so it just needs a quick wash once it’s all done. There’s no frying pan or oil to worry about. No extra dishes since I eliminated the breading process and it’s not baked in a casserole dish so you don’t have to clean that either. Seriously, I don’t know if I’ll ever make eggplant parmesan any other way after this!
I hope you make and fall in love with this Crispy Sheet Pan Eggplant Parmesan. If you make this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment below and let me know what you think!
Crispy Sheet Pan Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
Quick Tomato Sauce
- 1 28oz Canned Whole Peeled Tomatoes, crushed pulse in a food processor or blender or by hand
- 1 small Onion ,chopped
- 3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
- 2 tsp Dried Parsley
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 2 tsp Dried Basil
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes optional
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- t tsp anchovy paste optional
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
Crispy Sheet Pan Eggplant Parmesan
- 2 Large Purple Eggplant
- 1 1/2-2 cups Quick or Jarred Marinara Sauce
- 8oz Fresh Mozzarella, cut into 1inch cubes
- 1/2 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan plus more for serving
- 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 5-8 Large Basil Leaves, thinly sliced
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
Salt & Set Your Eggplant
- Wash and dry the outside of the eggplants.
- Trim the stem away from each eggplant if desired. I leave the stem on just for presentation. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise.
- Now score the flesh side of the eggplant by making about 4 cuts lengthwise and 4-6 cuts across the width. You only need to go about 1/2 inch deep. The flesh should have a cube pattern once your done. Do not cut all the way through the eggplants. The goal is to just cut the surface so the salt can get inside!
- Transfer eggplant to a baking sheet lined with paper towels on a wire rack flesh side up. Sprinkle each pieces generously with salt. Don't worry, about using too much because we will remove the salt before cooking!
- Allow eggplant to sit for 30-40 minutes to remove excess moisture and bitterness. You can also cover the eggplant with paper towels and sit a heavy pan, canned goods, etc. on top to help further remove moisture.
Make Quick Tomato Sauce
- While you're waiting for the eggplant to release moisture, you can make the tomato sauce.
- Preheat a medium saucepot over medium heat. Once hot add in about 2 tbsp of oil followed by your chopped onion, a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Cook onion for about 5 minutes or until soften stirring occasionally, Now add tomato paste and anchovy paste, if using, and let cook until tomato paste has darkened in color, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add chopped garlic, all the dried herbs, and red pepper flakes and stir constantly for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add your pulsed whole tomatoes and a pinch of black pepper and stir well to combined. Reduce heat to low, cover, and allow to gently cook until the eggplant is done roasting.
- Taste your sauce and adjust seasoning if needed. Wait until your sauce has had about 15-30 minutes to cook before you add any salt especially if you're not using salt free tomatoes. Remove & discard the bay leaf.
Roast The Eggplant
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- After the eggplant has had about 30-40 minutes to sit with the salt, shake off excess salt or lightly rinse the eggplant under cold water.
- Pat dry. Season lightly with oil, salt (optional), and pepper. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet flesh side down and place into your preheated 375 degree oven. Roast for about 30-35 minutes until tender.
- Remove from oven and allow the eggplant to cool for about 10 minutes
Build & Bake Eggplant Parmesan
- Once eggplant is cool enough to handle, flip them over flesh side up. Using a spoon gently scoop out the the flesh leaving the skin intact on the sheet pan as much as possible. Transfer the flesh to a medium bowl.
- To the bowl with the eggplant, add 1 1/2 cups of you tomato sauce and stir to combine. If it seems too dry and a little more sauce. Once well combine, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Spoon the eggplant & sauce mixture back into each skin making sure to distribute evenly.
- Take the cubed mozzarella and top each filled eggplant with about 2oz each. Making sure to gently push them down into the filling so they're don't fall out.
- Combine the breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup of grated parmesan, and 2 tbsp. of olive oil into a small bowl. Sir well to make sure all the breadcrumbs are coated in oil. Spoon the mixture over the top of each eggplant until each one is nicely topped and all the mixture is used.
- Place the eggplant back into the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes until the breadcrumbs are nicely browned.
- Remove from oven, top with fresh basil and serve! I serve 1/2 per person. Serve additional grated parmesan on the side for anyone that's wants it! Enjoy!