This eggplant parmesan has all the deliciousness of classic eggplant parmesan but it’s way healthier. It’s made with baked (not fried) eggplant, a delicious homemade tomato sauce, and a generous topping of of spinach.
Eggplant parmesan is one of the world’s most delicious comforting dishes, a vegetarian casserole of eggplant layered with tomato sauce and cheeses. This healthier baked eggplant parmesan recipe has a rich thick tomato sauce, deliciously spiced with basil, garlic, oregano and thyme. Because the eggplant is baked – not fried – feel free to go back for seconds or even thirds!
The sauce in this eggplant parmigiana is thicker than average and works beautifully to hold everything together deliciously. When possible, I recommend you use authentic San Marzano tomatoes for making tomato sauce. They are grown in a region of southern Italy that has rich volcanic soil and produces, in my opinion, the absolute best tomatoes for sauce. These tomatoes are so prized that the Italian government had to create a seal of authenticity to protect the “San Marzano” name from impostors, who try to use the name to increase sales of their tomato sauce. If you can’t find San Marzano tomatoes, organic tomatoes are the next best choice.
How to Make No Fry Baked Eggplant Parmesan
- Bread the Eggplant: Dip eggplant slices in low-fat milk, then into seasoned Panko bread crumbs
- Bake the Eggplant: Arrange the breaded eggplant on baking sheets and bake for 25-30 minutes in a 375ºF oven.
- Make The Sauce: While the eggplant is baking, make the tomato sauce: sauté chopped onions, add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, honey and spices, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add chopped garlic and simmer 10 minutes more. simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes.
- Assemble the casserole and Bake: ladle a thin layer of sauce into the bottom of the casserole. Arrange half the eggplant on top, then half the mozzarella cheese, then half of the remaining sauce, the rest of the eggplant, half of remaining mozzarella cheese, then the rest of the sauce. Place little piles of spinach on top of the casserole. Sprinkle on the rest of the mozzarella and all of the Parmesan cheese. Bake for 40 minutes until the casserole is steaming hot and the cheese is melted.
What to serve with Baked Eggplant Parmesan
My favorite salad to serve with this is Italy’s famous Insalta Tricolore, an all-around fantastic salad with an exciting trio of lettuces and a vibrant vinaigrette. Another delicious side dish for eggplant parmesan is Julia Child’s sautéed shredded zucchini.
Other Delicious Eggplant Recipes to Try
- Grilled Harissa Chicken Rice Bowl with Glazed Eggplant
- Eggplant Parmesan Stacks
- No Noodle Eggplant Lasagna
It is worth noting where this no fry eggplant parmesan recipe originated. I adapted it from a recipe in The Moosewood cookbook, a vegetarian cookbook that was first published in 1977 and has become an American Classic. It’s listed by the New York Times as one of the top ten best-selling cookbooks of all times. I’m usually so busy exploring new cookbooks that I don’t think to revisit the old ones. This one is going back into my kitchen bookcase!
Here’s the recipe for no fry baked eggplant parmesan. If you try this I hope you’ll come back to leave a rating and a comment. I’d love to know what you think!
PrintNo Fry Eggplant Parmigiana
Light and delicious no-fry eggplant parmesan with a thick rich tomato sauce, chopped spinach, and mozzarella cheese
Adapted from a recipe in The Moosewood Cookbook
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Casserole
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Equipment: 2 rimmed baking sheets, a 9 x 14 x 2 inch casserole
For The Eggplant
- 2 Medium eggplants, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices
- 2 ½ cups Panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ cup low-fat milk
- Oil for lightly coating the baking sheet
For The Tomato Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (San Marzano is best)
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
Other Ingredients:
- 1 16-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (I recommend Parmigiana Reggiano)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º F. Lightly oil baking sheets. In a medium sized bowl combine bread crumbs (2½ cups) and spices: basil (1 teaspoon), oregano (½ teaspoon), and thyme (½ teaspoon). Pour milk (¾ cup) into a small bowl. Create an assembly line where you first dip an eggplant slice into the milk, then press it into the crumbs on both sides, then set it on a baking sheet. Repeat with all the eggplant slices. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove and set aside. (keep the oven hot)
- While the eggplant is baking, make the sauce. heat oil (2 tablespoons) in a large cooking pot or dutch oven oven medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook for about 8 minutes until very soft and starting to brown. Stir in dried spices: basil (2 tablespoons), oregano (1 tablespoon), thyme (1 tablespoon), and salt (1 teaspoon). Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and honey (1 tablespoon). Cook sauce at a simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes. Add chopped garlic and simmer 10 minutes longer. Remove from heat. The sauce will be thick.
- To assemble the casserole, ladle a thin layer of sauce into the bottom of the casserole. Arrange half the eggplant on top. Sprinkle on ⅓ of the shredded mozzarella. Add half of remaining sauce (because the sauce it thick, you might have to gently spread it with a knife, as if you are frosting a cake, to avoid smearing the cheese and crumbs around). Add the rest of the eggplant, then half of remaining mozzarella cheese, then the rest of the sauce. Place little piles of spinach, evenly spaced over the top of the casserole. Season with a little salt and pepper. Sprinkle on the rest of the mozzarella and all of the Parmesan cheese. Bake for 40 minutes until cheese is melted and starting to brown. Slice and serve and enjoy!
Keywords: lighter eggplant parmesan, healthier eggplant parmesan, baked eggplant parmesan
This is our go-to eggplant parm recipe – still have the Moosewood Cookbook. Definitely appreciate that the eggplant isn’t fried – it always seemed to absorb too much oil that way. We don’t use spinach in ours. We frequently use jarred marinara since my own sauce on hand is meat sauce, which doesn’t go well with eggplant. Highly recommend Newman’s Sockarooni (now seems to be known as Farmers Garden) since it has some flavorful veggies in the sauce. We’re making it today with some roasted heirloom and cherry tomatoes that we’ll swirl part of in the food processor and use the sauce with the chunks of tomatoes with the eggplant. Yum!
We usually use the method you (and Moosewood) recommend, which is baking the eggplant in one pan and then moving it to another pan for layering and adding the sauce and cheese. However there is a one-pan method at Food Network, the recipe is No-Fry Sheet-Pan Eggplant Parmesan and if you’d like to use fewer pans that comes out really well.
★★★★★
Big hit with my guests! Definitely a keeper. I served meatballs on the side for carnivores. I love being able to prepare something long my before the guests arrive and bake it during appetizers. My apps were roasted cauliflower with muhammarra. Delish! Thanks, Lisa!
★★★★★
I LOVE eggplant parmesan and have been craving it. I would never have thought to add spinach, but what a great idea! I’m going to try this version very soon!
Great Carol! I hope you enjoy!!
Loved that you included pictures! It made me feel confident that I had it right. Have you ever been to the Moosewood in Ithaca, NY? The Moosewood Collective created that cookbook you mentioned–and they have created others! That place is most delicious!
Thanks for a great recipe–with pics!
I’ve never been to The Moosewood Collective but I would love to go! I may be in that neighborhood soon visiting Ithaca college with my son and I will definitely check it out. Thanks Liz!
This eggplant recipe was SO delicious! I love that the eggplant wasn’t fried. The photos and the cooking directions were so clear. Thank you Lisa for the obvious effort you put into your blog.
★★★★★
Sooo yummy! I used basil olive oil to add a little extra flavor and did not have reggiano cheese so I used mozzarella/parm and some sharp cheddar–worked out just as well because of the sharp flavor. This is a fun cooking process, too…worth the time! Helped to have the pictures to follow- thanks for this awesome recipe.
Thanks Elana – I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Another great eggplant dish, and no frying. Perfect.
I cannot wait to make this this week. It look so delicious! Thanks Lisa.
Lisa, I must say I was sure I’d found the most interesting blogs on line.
Yours is fascinating. Love that you care where each recipe originated,
and how recipes change with migration. Love your photographs as well.
Thank you for your labor of love on this blog. It is definitely going into
“My Favorites” as a top cooking blog for me! Will let you know, when I
make this or any recipe from your blog, how it turned out for me!
Hi Ines, thanks so much for your nice comments! I hope you enjoy the recipes. Best, Lisa
Just made this for 10 people — doubled the recipe and it worked out perfectly! Thank you!!!!!
This is my new go to eggplant parm recipe. The kids loved it and I loved that it is baked not fried. Super flavor. Thanks Lisa!!