You know those recipes that are near and dear to your heart? The ones that always bring you back to some fun event years ago. Well, Stacked Eggplant Parmesan is one of my favs for that very reason!
Eggplant Parmesan and Chicken Parmesan were the first 2 recipes I ever made! I made them on repeat for WEEKS in college and subjected my tennis teammates to eggplant parmesan dinners for months on end! This was one of the first recipes I ever made for my college boyfriend (now husband) and I can never get enough. I mean, how could you go wrong with breaded eggplant (or chicken) piled high with red sauce, 3 kinds of cheese and fresh basil? It’s basically everything I look for in life all baked into one giant skillet.
It’s also one of my favorites because sometimes I have a TON of energy and I’ll whip up a dish like this for dinner and then can’t be bothered to think about dinner the next night. Problem solved with this baby for leftovers. My absolute favorite way to jazz this up for leftovers (and trick Thomas into thinking I made something new) is to take out a few spoonfuls of the eggplant parm, chop it up into bite sized pieces and toss it into some freshly cooked pasta. I mean, if that’s not you’re new favorite way to get down with leftovers than I don’t know what to say.
Stacked Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
- 2 jars marinara sauce
- 2 large eggplant
- 5 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 4 cups Italian-style breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- Vegetable oil for frying, as needed, about 1 1/2 to 2 cups
- 1 1/2 pounds mozzarella cheese cut into thin slices
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 pound fontina cheese shredded
- 2 handfuls fresh basil
Instructions
- Slice the eggplant into thin slices.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk and set aside. In another bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, oregano and thyme and stir to combine.
- Dip the eggplant slices into the egg mixture, making sure to coat both sides. Following the egg mixture, dip the eggplant into the bread crumb herb mixture on both sides.
- In a large skillet, add about 1/3 cup of the vegetable oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the breaded eggplant slices a few at a time and fry on both sides until golden brown. Once golden, remove from the oil and let rest on a paper towel to drain excess oil. Continue this process with the remaining eggplant slices, making sure to add extra oil if needed.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
To assemble
- In a 9 by 13-inch baking dish or large cast iron skillet, spoon about 1/4 of the marinara sauce on the bottom. Top with a layer of the fried eggplant; the eggplant slices can overlap slightly. Top with about 1/3 of the mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with about 1/4 of the Parmesan and fontina cheeses. Top with a layer of torn basil leaves. Spoon sauce and repeat the layering 2 more times to make 3-4 layers. End with the remaining mozzarella. Carefully press the layers down firmly into the dish once assembled. Place the dish in the top part of the oven and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes. For extra browning, put the dish under the broiler for a minute or two just before serving to get an extra brown cheesy top.
- Serve with extra basil on top.
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe by What’s Gaby Cooking
This is so beautiful!! I may make it without the cheese. I know it’s not the same, but it just looks SO good!
Ooooh this looks WONDERFUL! I absolutely LOVE eggplant parmesan but have never made it myself! Your version looks so easy though! 🙂
Ohhh this looks amazing!! I love the stacked idea of this! That cheese on top is so dreamy!
This (well, something similar) was one of the first recipes I ever made too! Eggplant parm is so comforting. Love your recipe!
That eggplant parmesan looks so good!
This is a great variation on my favourite eggplant parmesan recipe. Does this freeze well?
it does!!
I know what I am making for dinner tonight!! This looks beautiful!!
Veggies on cheese on cheese on cheese action sounds delightful! Comfort food cravings be gone! I love eggplant, and I love the leftover ideas for this gorgeous rich dish. Eggplant on the farmers market list for this week! Thanks Gaby 🙂
I’d be table-side in a flash with fork in hand, if this were only on the menu tonight. Sounds fabulous, Gaby and oh so pretty!
Ooooo, this is so calling my name! Great recipe!!!
This is a great, comfort food recipe that I would love to have a big ‘ol plate of right about now! Yum!
I could eat eggplant or chicken Parmesan every single day. Love those dishes. I am drooling over here and wish I had eggplant so I could make this for dinner.
Oh yum. This looks amazing!
Oh yum. This looks perfect for our family!
WOW!!! That looks sooooo good! Can’t wait to make it. Any suggestions on the brand of marina sauce? So far the ones I’ve tried have been just OK. HELP!!!
I use the San Marzano Marinara Pasta Sauce and LOVE it!
We made an eggplant lasagna twice last week and I could totally eat it again tonight! So good!
Looks amazing! I noticed you didn’t have to salt the eggplants ahead of time to draw the bitterness out. Did you find that that wasn’t necessary? I’ve had many failed attempts with eggplants. They either turned out salty or bitter. How do you pick your eggplants?? Nice and firm?
nice and firm and correct, I don’t salt them ahead of time. I’ve never found them to be bitter after cooking this way 🙂
What kinds of sides do you serve?im trying to break out of the bread and salad with my Italian box..
It would be great with pasta, risotto, an herb salad, or quinoa!!
Love this recipe! I’ve made it 5 times and everyone who tries it raves!!! Question: can you make it a day ahead and then bake it the next day? Or would that make the eggplant soggy? I’ve frozen it with great results, which seems pretty similar. Just wasn’t sure if it could be preassembled.
that is a very good question!! I actually think you’d be totally okay!!
I want to make this as another option for Christmas dinner. Is there a way to prep or make ahead of time
just make it up to the point of baking, and bake off when you’re ready to eat! I wouldn’t do it more than 10ish hours ahead of time
I’m not an eggplant fan but my hubby LOVES it! We’ve had some eggplant sitting around from our CSA and I decided to see if Gaby had any good eggplant recipes! Y’all MAKE THIS! Even if you’re like me and don’t care for eggplant! It’s delicious! The recipe is easy and straightforward, besides frying the eggplant which I did in the electric skillet to do more at once it came together quickly!
We halved the recipe bc it’s just the 2 of us and still have lots of leftovers! I plan to make this for family this fall!
Wowow! Made it and it tastes exactly like the eggplant parm from my childhood. Thank you Gaby!