Crispy Baked Eggplant

Crispy oven baked eggplant cutlets are the perfect Italian side dish. Sliced eggplant is coated in a breadcrumb and parmesan cheese mixture and crisped to perfection.

Baked Eggplant Cutlets

I have eaten far too many sloppy and mushy eggplant parmesan dishes to have sworn off eggplant forever. The breading gets soggy, it falls off the eggplant, and you’re left with a mushy, seedy piece of eggplant that just flops off your fork. Gross.

Here’s the thing- eggplant is in season and I actually enjoy eating a wide variety of produce, so I had no choice but to get over it. I set out to make baked eggplant cutlets that would be tender on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and have breading that actually sticks.

Now that I have perfected this recipe, gone are the days that the eggplant will never see the light of day outside of my fridge. There are no more rotting eggplants that serve as kitchen decor. Dramatic, I know.

In all seriousness, this recipe really just gave me an excuse to whip up my all time favorite recipe- Red Wine Pasta Sauce. I grabbed my own bowl of sauce so I could double dip these extra crispy eggplant slices however much I liked. Top with a little (or a lot) of parmesan cheese and you have yourself a whole dish- eggplant parmesan. These bad boys didn’t make it to become a eggplant parmesan because they were being eaten right off the baking tray. *slaps hands creeping up on my counter with spatula*

Healthy Baked Eggplant

Ingredients for oven baked eggplant slices:

• 1 large eggplant
• 1 egg
• Italian breadcrumbs
• parmesan cheese
• Italian seasoning

Tips for baked eggplant recipe:

• Slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch slices. This is a perfect size to easily bake them and allow them to expel water evenly.
• Slice, salt, and rest. Slice the eggplant, then put them in a single layer on a cooling rack. Salt the eggplant slices, then let them rest for 15 minutes. This allows the eggplant to expel some water which makes the breadcrumb mixture stick better.
• Flip the eggplant slices, salt, and rest again. Allow the other side to expel water for 15 minutes.
• Dab the eggplant slices with a paper towel. Soak up all the excess water with a paper towel.

Baked Parmesan Eggplant

How to make Baked Italian Eggplant Cutlets:

• Slice the eggplant, salt it, and let it rest. Allow each side to rest for 15 minutes to help expel excess water. Dab the water off the eggplant slices.
• Whisk the egg. Set to the side.
• Combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning.
• Preheat the oven to 400 ° F.
• Dunk the eggplant slice in the egg, then into the breadcrumb mixture. Press the breadcrumb mixture onto the eggplant slices to help it stick.
• Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the eggplant slices and bake for 7 more minutes.
• Remove from the oven. Eat it up!

More Delicious Vegetable Dishes

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More Backyard Bohemian Classics

• Antipasto Quinoa Salad
• White Wine Vinaigrette
• Baked Honey Sriracha Salmon
• Valentine’s Day Charcuterie Board
• Valentine’s Day Aphrodisiac Recipes

Crispy Baked Parmesan Eggplant

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