Perfect for Meatless Mondays, this easy eggplant parmesan recipe is not only delicious, but also healthy. Make baked eggplant parmesan instead of lasagna to skip the unnecessary carbs and still enjoy all the cheesy goodness. When breading the eggplant, make sure to use whole-wheat panko instead of regular panko to avoid sogginess. A great crowd-pleaser Italian dish, elevate this eggplant parmesan with our homemade tomato sauce. Don&rsquo;t skimp on the fresh basil to provide a fresh and earthy flavor to this baked dish. Make sure to save enough cheese at the end to sprinkle on top for the final crispy, cheesy layer. 

Eggplant Parmesan

eggs,

water

whole-wheat panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

(1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

eggplants,

Cooking spray

basil

red pepper

garlic

salt

(16-ounce) ricotta cheese

egg,

(24-ounce) jar premium pasta sauce

mozzarella cheese

(3 ounces) finely grated fontina cheese

To make eggplant, combine 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon water in a shallow dish. Combine panko and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano in a second shallow dish. Dip eggplant in egg mixture; dredge in panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere and shaking off excess. Place eggplant 1 inch apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375&deg; for 30 minutes or until golden, turning once and rotating baking sheets after 15 minutes.


To make filling, combine basil and next 6 ingredients (through egg).


To assemble, spoon 1/2 cup pasta sauce in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer half of eggplant slices over pasta sauce. Sprinkle eggplant with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Top with about 3/4 cup pasta sauce; spread half of ricotta mixture over sauce, and top with a third of mozzarella and 1/4 cup fontina. Repeat layers once, ending with about 1 cup pasta sauce. Cover tightly with aluminum foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375&deg; for 35 minutes. Remove foil; top with remaining third of mozzarella and 1/4 cup fontina. Bake at 375&deg; for 10 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese melts; cool 10 minutes.


My picky Italian family have not stopped raving. Well worth the time and effort to prepare. 

 Having now made several times since 2010, we slice the eggplant lengthwise (tip from Serious Eats' "All-American Eggplant Parmesan").  Test for done-ness and bake the slices for a couple minutes longer if needed  Rest the eggplant on a cooling rack before assembly.  Still great with spinach-mushroom salad &amp; red wine.  

Outstanding recipe! I used fresh mozzarella cheese for top layer also used Fresh Parmesan cheese.  I served extra sauce on the side.

PK--I agree and I also learned from the Cook's Illustrated Recipe but did low sodium version. Glad to see your review. I find CL is hardly as light as it could be--very disappointing recipes for me.

This was very good!  The breaded eggplant adds the perfect taste.  Tastes fattening but it's not!  Kids even had seconds.

Followed recipe, except for using regular panko (it's what I had on hand); turned out fine for me.  I also sprayed the eggplant with cooking spray before baking, as some other reviewers did.

This was a big hit with the family. Son works for Olive Garden and he said it's even better than theirs. I followed some of the suggested revisions, such as coating in flour before dipping into egg mixture. I used regular ricotta cheese and used a bit more fontina cheese (3 oz) since it added so much to the flavor. I also added a bit more sauce and made additional sauce for the pasta. Will add it to the menu as a favorite. Loved it!!! Will allow a little more time for prep time in the future, though.

WOW! This is so tasty. Directions are easy to follow, too. Red pepper flakes add a really nice touch. I think that 10 servings is a bit small. Expect AT LEAST to eat 1/8 recipe for one serving, which would up the calories to 400. 

I don't have more to add than that which has already been noted, except that though this is time intensive, there is a good bit of down time.  Loved the flavor and texture.  I would call this a "put together on Sunday, bake on Monday" recipe.

Absolutely excellent flavor.  I rate 4 stars only because I feel it required a few modifications to get the 5 star taste :)

I removed strips of peel, not the entire thing (next time will likely even not peel at all). Sliced a bit thinner than the 1/2" recommended in the recipe. Very lightly dust with flour, then dip in egg whites/EggBeaters.  I did use the WW panko (was near the stuffing mixes in my supermarket).  Lightly spray breaded slices with olive oil spray prior to baking, to achieve even more crisp crust. Removed slices to cookie cooling rack immediately after baking to maintain the crisp factor. The cheese/filling mixture requires almost double amounts of the other flavor elements (basil, garlic, crushed red pepper)....true with most CL recipes.  I did stick to the layering procedure and used the cheeses per the recipe and it turned out great.  Served atop spaghetti, with a side of grilled corn brushed with garlic/lemon/EVOO sauce. Delicious!  I would serve this to guests.

Great recipe.  Good flavor but was overdone as I put it on high for .5hour and then 4hours on low. Will try again using 4hours on low. Think this will be perfect!

This was good but I thought it needed more sauce.  I did flour the eggplant before dipping into the egg and panko.  I doubled the garlic and used more cheese than the recipe called for.  It just seemed a little dry, but tasty.  Next time, I'll have more sauce on hand.  Very filling.  Definitely a weekend meal.

I decided I wanted to make eggplant parmesan "light", no deep frying for me. I found this Cooking Light recipe and read the reviews.  I then compared Cooks Illustrated 2004 recipe for Eggplant Parmesan.  I like the Cooks version because it did not use ricotta.   Here are my observations.  White panko works great.  Cooks made their own breadcrumbs, why bother.  1/4 inch eggplant slices are the way to go. I liked Cooks idea of first tossing the eggplant slices in flour before dipping into egg.  Cooks suggested resting the slices on wire racks.  If you are a Cooks Illustrated member, check out their variation.  Very crispy eggplant.

I also made a half recipe of eggplant.  I used a full recipe of tomato sauce.  I would suggest checking out Cooks tomato sauce. Super easy.  

This is a great recipe regardless of which way you go.

I made this dish following this recipe, but used regular seasoned panko (could not find whole wheat) it came out perfect, in the past my eggplant dishes were watery and so I thought I'd have the same problem here but NO ( I guess the crumbs and high heat dries the eggplant excess water)  it was beautiful, my boyfriend said it was restaurant worthy. I will make it again and again, btw it is not that much work, it just the  dipping and coating that takes +- 15 min, once that is done it  is ready to bake, while it is baking you clean up.  Loved it!!!

It turned out great.  I tend to go over board on cheese so next time I'll stick to the exact amount called for.  The fresh basil is the key.  Don't use the dried stuff!!

This was incredible! Only thing I did different was slice eggplant a little smaller. Very good.

Awesome. Like lasagna only better and healthier. Will make this one often.

I made for a friend who loves Eggplant Parm, but I have never made or eaten it before. He said it was really good and I liked it so much I made it again already.  This time I peeled the eggplant...the 1st time I missed that instruction, but it was still very tasty. I would serve this to company...love that it is lighter version.

This was pretty good.  Husband LOVED it and wants it again; I thought it was good, but not drop dead delicious.  Made following the recipe, except I couldn't find whole wheat panko, so used regular.  Pretty time-consuming to make.  There are so many good recipes for this dish out there, I might try a different one next time.

Absolutely delicious.  The whole family loved it.  I made a few substitutions.  I used regular Panko, which worked out well and stayed crunchy.  I used extra garlic and tomato sauce because how can you go wrong with too much of either?!?  I also substituted the fontina cheese (provolone, gruyere or gouda are good alternatives).  My 13 year old is a horribly picky eater.  I didn't tell him it was eggplant and called it lasagna.  He was shocked when I later told him it was eggplant and still thought it was good!  This will definitely be one of my new go-to recipes!  Can't wait to make it again.

I used this recipe as more of a guide than anything...To avoid soggy, mushy eggplant, after you slice it, lay it out on a tray and liberally sprinkle salt on both sides and leave for 45 minutes or so, turning once. This allows the water to come to the surface, which you can then pour off and pat dry with a towel. It really helps! Also, I used goat cheese instead of ricotta and created such a delicious spin on the eggplant parm! The second time I made this, I added browned sausage for my husband and he loved that too. Also, I used regular panko as that is what i had on hand.

Excellent exactly as written.  I'd give it 5 stars if it weren't so time consuming to make.  It was worth it, but it's a shame I can't add it to our regular rotation.

Very, very tasty. I sliced the eggplant thin (1/4"), used regular panko because that was what I had, and baked the eggplant 10 minutes longer than instructed. My eggplant was done, but the crust still came out soggy. I guess next time I will just have to look for the whole wheat variety! Or I may try toasting the plain crumbs. It was very good in spite of the soggy crust. The edges of the eggplant where no sauce touched was still crispy. As for the sauce level, I didn't add more than instructed because I was afraid more would drench the crust. I can see why people would prefer more. And it tasted so cheesy and luxurious for something "light"!

Mine didn't stay crunchy at all, but I couldn't find whole wheat panko and then I ran out of regular panko, so I made homemade bread crumbs.  So, the lack of crunchy is probably my fault.  The taste overall is really good.  It takes forever though!  Not sure its worth the effort, although clearly others think it is.  My husband likes red pepper flakes, so I used them, but if it were just for me, I would leave them out.  I have other eggplant parm recipes that I prefer.  I didn't use as much salt as it called for and I think you could leave it out all together since the jarred sauces provide a lot of sodium.

OUTSTANDING!!!  This recipe is FABULOUS!!!  I took a lot longer to make it but boy oh boy was it worth the wait!!!  I could've used a bit more sauce but I still give it 5 stars.  The flavor, the texture....I wasn't able to find the whole wheat panko so I just used what I already had at home.  It was fine by me!!!  I can't wait to eat the leftovers after the seasonings have settled in.  AMAZING!!!

I have made this recipe several times since it was first published in the September 2010 issue. THIS IS THE BEST EGGPLANT PARM EVER!!!! My mom and I usually make a double batch together and turn it into an afternoon sipping wine, making our own sauce, and then enjoying our meal together. We then freeze the rest in individual portions to enjoy later for lunch which are absolutely delicious as well. Sometimes when I make this for a crowd I use fresh homemade ricotta from my local Italian store. An indulgence indeed.

LOVED this recipe..could not find whole wheat panko; just used seasoned Italian panko..I thought the taste was heavenly.  I cut the eggplant thinner than 1/2 inch and did not add salt.  I thought preparation was really pretty simple.  I had just enough sauce..used Mario Batali's "Cherry tomato sauce" in a jar..very expensive, but very good.

Excellent! This was the first time I ever cooked eggplant and I was a little nervous on how it would turn out. 

I followed the other's suggestions about slicing the eggplant about 1/4" and baking a little longer.   (FYI, I had a recipe for baked eggplant fries that was essentially the same as the first part of this recipe, so I made those at the same time with the extra eggplant.  Nice appetizer while waiting for the rest to cook!)

Absolutely amazing! No one would ever guess this to be a light recipe

I also sliced my eggplant at 1/4 inch thickness (on a mandolin).  I used low fat buttermilk to dip in (simply because I forgot I was out of eggs and needed the last one for the ricotta mixture).  With thinner slices, and more of them, I did need to use more breadcrumbs.  Placed in three layers due to thinner slices of eggplant.  I only felt I needed a slight amount more pasta sauce (make sure you buy the 24 ounce jar!!  most jars are much less!).  I really is a great recipe to reduce the calories and I think I like the flavor better than the fried version.

This dish was fantastic! The only problem I had was that the 1/2" thick eggplant slices didn't cook enough according to the recipe's time frame. I will either cook longer or slice thinner next time. The filling was good enough to eat by itself!

Love this recipe.  Baking the eggplant tastes so much better than frying it.  I enjoy this version of eggplant parm better than any fried recipe.  You can actually taste the eggplant instead of 'fried food'.  It stays crisp too and doesn't get soggy this way.

I used a mandoline to slice my eggplant into 1/4 inch slices instead of 1/2 inch. I think I liked this thickness the best.  I've made it thicker in the past and I seem to prefer 1/4 inch.

Yum! Used others suggestions (cooked reg. Panko, cut eggplant 1/4" thick, all mozzarella, extra sauce) and wow!  This was excellent!  My husband loves egg plant parm, but i was always nervous to cook it.  With this recipe I was able to make it easily and wonderfully.

Made successfully with regular panko, so good!

Made this for the first time; actually never made Eggplant Parmesan before.  My daughter, like another poster with a picky 12 yr. old, ate TWO helpings.  I did reduce the amount of mozz cheese on top and next time might eliminate putting finely shredded cheese over that.  It was plenty cheesey, but not heavy.  I used low fat ricotta, my own homemade pasta sauce which is lighter than jar sauce and next time might use egg beaters.  It was time consuming, but not confusing.  Will definitely keep on file to make again.  (My daughter asked "every week?")

For a really modified recipe ...  to keep the crispiness, I made the eggplant as described (easily found whole wheat panko at Whole Foods), but made some changes when assembling.

I only put sauce underneath, then layered the eggplant and topped with slice fresh mozzarella and a little grated romano.  Really crispy and good, different from traditional baked and smothered eggplant parm.

Couldn't find whole wheat panko, so used a combination of regular panko, matzo meal, and plain bread crumbs, which worked just fine.  Only needed half of the egg mixture and crumb mixture.  Omitted the garlic and used all mozzarella versus the mozzarella/fontina combination.  Delicious!

Made this recipe for dinner when our local farmers market had eggplants that were calling out to me. Used regular panko and doubled the sauce, otherwise followed recipe as written. Even better the next day, (as usual with Italian dishes) . Will be making this again soon !

Absolutely wonderful. Mine needed more sauce though so I served it with a sauced Penne pasta. Excellent!

Go to recipe at our house.  Have no problems when using regular panko and usually skip the fontina for all mozzarella. Definately a family favorite.

I used matzah meal instead of panko and it was great!  Nice texture and not soggy.

We did the recipe exactly as it was written with 3 exceptions:  couldn't find whole wheat panko, so we toasted the regular,,,we only used 1 big eggplant cut in 1/4" slices, ..and alot more sauce..Takes Alot of time, but have a couple of glasses of wine with your honey and it can be fun! It was just 2 of us..made enuf for 8!  Had it with angle hair pasta and garlice bread...Very good!!!

Great recipe.  VERY time consuming to prepare the eggplant and assemble, but tastes great. Doubled the pasta sauce, but still was not 'saucy' or wet (which I liked). Toasted plain panko as advised by other posters. Used shredded mozzarella and I thought it was fine. May try sliced to see if there is a difference next time. Fairly straight forward to prepare when you follow the recipe. Assembled a day ahead and cooked the next day. Served this at Bunco this week to rave reviews with salad and bread. Will definitely prepare and serve again.

First time making this recipe and I give it a thumbs up!!! I feel like the pasta sauce wasn't enough though.  And the layering off the dish wasn't that clear cause I haven't made this before.  Oh and make sure you use FRESH MOZZERELLA instead of shredded....mine turned out good but was too cheesy and stringy cause of using shredded. lol!

I thought this eggplant parm was delicious...but could have used more sauce. I followed the other reviewers' suggestions to slice the eggplant thinner and cook it a bit longer. It was fairly time-consuming, but worth it! Delicious leftover as well.

I made this last night and it was the best eggplant parmesan that we have ever eaten.  It was so much tastier baked than fried (this certainly surprised us): the eggplant was even tasty just out of the oven..  The addition of the grated chese to the panko (I used regualr panko since we didn't have whole wheat) was a nice addition. I sliced the eggplant much thinner than called for so it would bake faster and crisp up. Ricotta cheese does not come in 16 ounce containers, only 15 ounce, then 2 pound and 3 pound.  I used fat free ricotta then added the grated cheese, the egg, the red pepper (this was a great added touch, just enough spice) and dried basil since we didn't have fresh.  While this was time consuming, so is the fried eggplant as well.  It was well worth the wait and will definitely make this again!

Made this for dinner last night and it was amazing! My fiance loved it and went back for seconds.

Loved this recipe!  I happened to have whole wheat panko on hand (found at our local Publix), and added some seasoning to that along with the grated parm.  Next time, the only adjustments will be to bake the eggplant beforehand a little longer (it was still a little al dente, and I think we would have preferred it a little softer), and to reduce or finely grind the crushed red pepper.  Some bites were surprisingly spicy.  This was a very cheesy dish, but that's never a bad thing in our household.  We served it with an arugula salad with a fig viniagrette and a side of spaghetti.  An excellent dish that we will definitely be making again.

I've made this with great results with some amendments--I make a roasted red pepper sauce, from the spinach lasagna roll ups from CL, and it's really good, less acidic tasting. This time I only had half a case of ricotta, so i added in 5 oz. goat cheese and  used more part skim mozzerella and fontina, was very good. I used whole wheat bread crumbs I made and they were as good as whole wheat panko (which is available at Whole foods, I just did not want to drive out to get). My dinner guest thought there was meat in the dish it was so hardy!. YUM

Update 2014--- this dish is still awesome and one of my summer staples but I can never figure out if this is supposed to be 3 or 2 eggplant layers? This time I made it with three-- tall stacks and it's six servings so probably two layer. In this case I would only buy one big eggplant or two mediums -- I have left over eggplant slices!

This is the best eggplant parm that I've ever eaten! The crushed red pepper gives the dish an unexpected kick that I love! It is definitely time consuming to make, but it is well worth it!

This is a very time consuming recipe, but it is very good. I love the fresh mozzarella and basil, and the eggplant comes out very crunchy. My only complaint is that for a higher calorie recipe it is not very filling. It is very easy to go for more than one serving. I might try next time to take the crunchy eggplant, mozzarella, sauce and basil and put it on bread and make a panini or something.

Made this for the 1st time and had to make some modifications on it - the whole family, including my 'sous chef'/aka PICKY eater (9 yr old child), despite his insistence that he would NOT like it. 
- Needed more sauce - 1 24.5 oz plus another half jar
- Did not peel the eggplant - it still came out fine
- Used regular, not whole wheat panko - still came out fine
- Used 'fire roasted marinara' and didn't use the red pepper flakes
- The container in the fridge that I thought was ricotta turned out to be sour cream... so, I used plain Greek yogurt instead.  I drained it in cheesecloth in a colander, while I sliced the eggplant - my husband didn't even notice and we all loved the smooth sauce

Wow! I have never made eggplant parm before and this was outstanding! I halved the recipe other than the sauce (based on reviews) and garlic as that's the norm in our house, left out the added salt and used white eggplant that I picked up at the farmers market this weekend. So, so, so yummy, cheesy and filling!  Served with a green salad, garlic bread and wine.  Will make again and would absolutely serve to guests.

This was excellent! Only thing is, I would cut back on the salt a little.

Awesome!!!  My whole family loved this!  I could not find whole wheat Panko so I just used seasoned regular panko from the pantry.  I only had 1 cup so I improvised and made the second cup itallian bread crumbs (also from my pantry).  It was fine.  This likely changed the nutritional values some but the tast was wonderful.  I served over whole wheat pasta.

I have been making eggplant parm similar to this for years, only instead of egg, I use olive oil spray.  I set up an assembly line &amp; spray a bunch of eggplant, flip them over, spray again &amp; then dip in crumbs.  I make a lot of eggplants at one time &amp; then freeze them so I can eggplant parm whenever I want.

A little time consuming but well worth it.  I used fresh tomato sauce with lots of garlic and basil.  The eggplant was fresh picked from my garden this AM.  I did take follow the advice of others and baked the eggplant a few minutes longer and got a nice brown on the slices.  My only comment has to do with the cheeses, I just happened to have the fontina on hand but you can absolutely do without as I didn't taste it in the end product.  A keeper!

Great eggplant parmesan. DEFINITELY needs more sauce. I had a bit more than the recipe called for, but still needed more. Plus, it is time-consuming. I think if I made half of it--which would require less time baking the eggplant--it would have been better in terms of time. If there's only two of you in the household, cut it in half.

Whoa, this was GOOD.  I've been thinking about making this for a while, and finally decided to this weekend.  I'm just sorry I waited so long; it was fantastic! I used regular panko (I like my eggplant soft, so didn't seem like a negative to me).  I was also making it for two, so I divided the recipe approximately by four (I wasn't particularly precise with my measurements).  This will become a regular for sure.

I've been making a version of healthy eggplant parm for years, so I was curious to see if this recipe could beat mine. It was great! Only difference is that I sub cottage cheese for ricotta. It has a similar consistency and all the spices add necessary flavor.

This was delicious!  I didn't have fresh basil or whole wheat panko-I'll definitely find both for next time.  Also, 1 jar of sauce was not enough (but it was still good without dumping more sauce on top.  The pepper made it a little spicier than I would like so I might cut back next time.  The leftovers were, if it's possible, even better than fresh out of the oven.

I made this recipe exactly as is except I did not have fontina cheese so I just used a little extra parmesan. I also just used regular old panko.  It was delicious and reheated very well!  I definitely recommend!

SO good! It was a bit time consuming, but VERY easy, and extremely delicious. I used regular panko bread crumbs, and although they did not retain their crunch, that didn't take away from the dish AT ALL. I may repeat in the future without the breadcrumbs altogether, though.

Amazing.. Glad I did it on a weekend due to time but certainly glad I made two... It was amazing.

My husband and I loved it! I agree with the others who reviewed, it is a bit time-consuming and I definitely recommend giving yourself a couple hours to make it (not much hands-on time, mostly waiting for baking). I also agree that it needs 1.5-2 bottles of sauce, 1 wasn't enough by far. I toasted the breadcrumbs, but I don't think it made much of a difference, baking it with the sauce and cheese took away the crispiness.

If you want a healthier version of eggplant parm and have some time to spare, I'd definitely recommend making this! :)

Made this last night and we all loved it! My picky 12 year-old (who put his nose up when I told him we were having eggplant) even had seconds! I took another reviewer's suggestion to add more sauce, and used Italian breadcrumbs because that's what I had on hand.  Otherwise, I followed the recipe as written.  Also, I just had leftovers for lunch, and it was just as good if not better!!!

We love eggplant parm but this one wasn't crispy - like we are used to.  It was very good and we are happy to eat the leftovers, but will not make again.  Too much effort for the end result and bread crumbs soap up the sauce making breading not crispy.

What a great recipe for Eggplant!!  I did read the reviews prior to making it and I, too, "toasted" the panko to a golden brown as I could not find whole wheat in my area.  I used a slightly smaller pan (11 * 7) overlapping the eggplant as needed.  In addition, I used my own sauce so I would have enough to serve on the side.  It is a bit time consuming to put together, so I made it on a Sunday afternoon, baked it for 30 minutes WITHOUT the cheese on top, refrigerated it and then rebaked it on Monday night adding the last layer of cheese at the end of the baking time.  I think that most Italian dishes taste better and set better if put together the day before.  I will be making this eggplant again and again.  My family loved it!!

I bought an eggplant at farmer's market and was so excited to make something new. This recipe was the BEST! I did make some modifications based on what I had in my pantry. I used italian breadcrumbs, italian seasonings, and shredded mozzerella and no fontina cheese. It was still awesome. I can't wait to eat more tomorrow.

My husband and I loved this recipe!  I used plain panko, which I toasted, instead of whole wheat.  I also used 1% cottage cheese instead of ricotta and we could not tell the difference.  Lastly, I used shredded part skim mozzarella instead of whole.  Everything else I did the same.  I will make this recipe many many times, I

Followed recipe ingredients except used regular panko. Cut eggplant 1/4" instead of 1/2" and baked for 30min on SPEED-bake.  Perfect consistency of eggplant, though not much crunch. Would definitely use more pasta sauce but it was runnier than I thought it would be when I assembled it. Great flavor will make again soon.  My husband commented it would be good over pasta and a little saucier:)But it was cheesy goodness!!! Was a bit time consuming for 1 person to make.

This was absolutely delicious!  I don't recommend making this for a weeknight dinner with 2 young kiddos though.. pretty time consuming.

Based on other reviewers comments I toasted regular panko and sliced my eggplant to a 1/4 of an inch. It cooked beutifully and stayed crunchy. I also added a whole extra jar of sauce to the top. My husband frequently feels that C.L. recipes don't have enough sause, so I have learned to double the sauce for nearly all of thier recipies.

It was great, but unless you like spicy eggplant parmesan, I would leave out the crushed red pepper. I didn't think it enhanced the flavor and it was weird having spiciness of any kind in a parmesan dish. Also, next time I make it, I am going to substitute 1/2 mozzarella for the fontina. It was a little too cheesy for me. Overall, it was very good and I plan on making it again.

Find whole wheat Panko at Whole Foods Market, the brand name is Ians. I made this for my wife and myself; we enjoyed it; however I would not call it my favorite. Things I would change next time; 2 cups of Panko was too much, 2/3 of it went in the trash, a one pound eggplant cut into half inch slices equals about 10 slices so the 9âX13â dish was too big and made it hard to make the pasta sauce cover. I would bake the eggplant a few more minutes to make it crisp. Time consuming too.

Like many of the other reviewers, I did not find whole wheat panko but it didn't seem to make a difference.  My husband, who is a meat man, thought it was terrific.  Today I had a leftover piece that had been frozen and it was still yummy.

The eggplant was tasty and crispy, but I agree with the reviewers who recommend having another jar of sauce on hand to serve with the dish, especially if you plan to serve pasta on the side. Even without a side of pasta, it needs an extra tomato kick to push it over the edge into 5 star quality. Also, skip the fontina if you can't find it pre-shredded.  I tried to shred the block I bought and it was a disaster.

Made this tonight and it was excellent.  I made my own pasta sauce (sauted garlic with olive oil, added crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes, simmered 30 minutes and added fresh basil and a pinch of sugar). The only thing I would definitely change is the baking time on the eggplant.  After reading the other reviews, I sliced the eggplant thinner and baked the eggplant 10 minutes longer and then baked the casserole an additional 10 minutes. The eggplant still was not baked long enough! I've  rated it a 5 because the flavor is outstanding! This is the best eggplant parmessan eva!

This was the best eggplant parmesan I've ever had, even the kids loved it.  I used plain panko bread crumbs and only used 15 oz of ricotta cheese as that's what my supermarket had. I made it for a cooking light dinner party, prepared the dish and baked it once I got to the party, so you could assemble ahead of time.  This was great to make for company and I'll make it again and again!

We really loved this recipe.  The only change I made was using seasoned bread crumbs over panko because it was a last-minute recipe and that's all I had.  Also, I used my homemade sauce over a jarred version.  We would definitely eat this again - I'll try the panko next time.

I really enjoyed this recipe.  I used Emeril's Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce, and I thought it went very well with this dish.  I will say, however, that whole wheat panko (if you can find it) is probably the best choice for this dish.  The texture of the crumbs is crunchier than regular panko, and the crumbs are bulkier.  This imparted what I would consider to be a meaty/heartier texture to the sauce upon baking.  Not to say that regular panko wouldn't work well, but I can understand why whole wheat was recommended.  The only minor issue with this dish is that even after all of the baking, my eggplant was still too firm for my liking.  Next time I'll either slice the eggplant thinner (some slices were a tiny bit thicker than 1/2") or I'll bake covered longer.

My husband and I really enjoyed this recipe.  We are stationed overseas and I couldn't find panko, Parmigiano-Reggiano, or skim part-skim ricotta cheese at our military grocery store.  I used regular bread crumbs, store bought shredded Mozzarella &amp; Provolone cheese, store bought shredded Parmesan cheese, and regular ricotta cheese.  I used the mozzarella in place of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and Parmesan cheese in place of the fontina cheese.  We also did not peel off the skin from the eggplant.  Ours did not turn out soggy and it was still super good!  I'm sure we did not make it as healthy as it could be, but it's better than no effort!

I used regular panko and it was fine. I did not peel the eggplant, we actually prefer it unpeeled. I would make this recipe again, but would double the amount of pasta sauce used.  Was very tasty, but came out not saucy enough for us.

I too, could not find whole wheat panko so I used a combination of regular panko &amp; Pepperidge Farm Stuffing mix that incl. whole wheat &amp; white crumbs &amp; rolled them flat in a ziplock to match the panko crumbs in size. It was very good. There's just two of us in my household so I'm hoping a few frozen portions will hold up as well!

This recipe just made my top 10 list that I will make over and over. Even my one year old had two helpings!

Really delicious - this dish exceeded my expectations.

I used fresh eggplants from the garden - one purple &amp; one white.  

My only issues:

Is it just me, or does riccotta cheese not come in a 16 oz size?  I only saw 15 oz &amp; 2 lbs in the store, &amp; I didn't want to have that much extra, so I went with 15 oz.  I added another ounce of fontina cheese, to reclaim my cheese balance ;-)

I also had trouble finding whole wheat panko (but it seems I'm not alone).  I did notice that whole wheat flour was the first ingredient in the panko at my grocery store, but I don't believe that counts.

This is the best Eggplant Parmesan I have every had!! I was thinking I would have enough to freeze for later, but I do not think the leftovers will last more than a day or two! I like the idea of the 
Eggplant subs mentioned in a previous review - I think I will have that for my next lunch.

I, too, used regular panko breadcrumbs and  my dish turned out fine.  I also didn't use the fontina cheese, but used extra parmesan cheese.  I served this dish with a side salad.

Perfect for Meatless Mondays, this eggplant parmesan recipe is not only delicious, but also healthy. Make eggplant parmesan instead of lasagna to skip the unnecessary carbs and still enjoy all the cheesy goodness.


eggplant parmesan

Total: 1 hours, 45 minutes

Servings: 5.5

Cost: $9.13 /serving

Author : Kathy Kitchens Downie, RD

Ingredients

Instructions

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