Baked Eggplant Pasta Parmigiano
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This eggplant pasta recipe is a mash-up of two totally delicious comfort foods in one dish: Eggplant Parmigiano and macaroni and cheese. It features crunchy breadcrumb-crusted eggplant, marinara sauce and a creamy blanket of cheese, all baked in the oven. Buon Appetito!
When I’m thinking about comfort food, all things carby and cheesey are often the first things that come to mind.
For me, eggplant Parmesan and macaroni and cheese — or, basically any kind of pasta with cheese on it — are two dishes right at the top of the list. This eggplant pasta is a recipe that combines the two, an all-in-one meal to serve out of a bowl and enjoy on a comfy couch.
Eggplant pasta is old school Italian
No matter the origins of any person’s family tree, we can all relate to satisfying hunger with recipes that are grounded in peasant cooking.
But it’s safe to say that Southern Italians, specifically Neapolitans and Sicilians, have definitely paired eggplant with pasta for hundreds of years. The traditional method for making eggplant Parmesan involves dipping slices of eggplant in an egg batter, coating with flour and breadcrumbs and then deep-frying and THEN layering it all in a baking dish.
All good, but it was that frying step I wanted to skip. So I’ve come up with no-fry version of eggplant parmesan paired with pasta and my simple homemade marinara sauce. It delivers that delectable crunchy crust without the mess (and extra oil) that comes with deep-frying.
Not exactly old school, but somehow this dish brings the old world and 21st century tastes comfortably together.
Baked Eggplant Pasta Parmigiano
Ingredients
Cheese sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups (475 ml) whole milk
- ¼ cup (50 g) grated Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Eggplant and pasta
- ¾ pound (350 g) eggplant, about 1 medium or 2 small, peeled
- 1 egg
- Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2½ cups (270 g) panko breadcrumbs or coarse dry breadcrumbs
- Olive oil
- 12 ounces (340 g) dried pasta shells orecchiette or similar shape
- 1 cup (240 ml) prepared marinara sauce
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup (85 g) shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese, about 1/2 pound
- ¼ cup (15 g) chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
Make the cheese sauce
- Heat a medium saucepan over moderate heat. Add the butter and heat until foaming subsides and butter is melted. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly pour in milk while whisking. Bring to a simmer, then lower heat and cook 5–10 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and stir in ¼ cup of the Parmesan, ½ teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 450 (230 C) degrees. Bring a large (4-6 quarts) pot of water to a boil and add 3 tablespoons salt.
Eggplant pasta
- Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise, then slice each in half again to make four wedges. Slice crosswise into ½-inch thick pieces.
- Whisk together egg, 1 teaspoon salt, garlic, and oregano in a large bowl. Add eggplant and toss to coat. Dredge eggplant in the panko crumbs on a cookie sheet.
- Place a large rimmed baking sheet on the oven rack and heat for 10 minutes — it may warp a bit, but don't worry.
- Carefully pour enough olive oil over the bottom of the preheated baking sheet to cover to a depth of ¼-inch. Lay eggplant on the pan and roast 12 minutes. Flip eggplant slices over with a spatula, and roast an additional 10 minutes or until eggplant is tender and crust is golden.
- Cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente. Drain.
- Lower oven temperature to 400 (200 C) degrees. Combine the pasta with the cheese sauce in the saucepan, then transfer to a large casserole or baking dish. Top with the eggplant (and any crisp crumbs in the pan), marinara sauce, ¼ cup Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Bake 12-15 minutes, until hot and cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- This is a hearty dish that will easily feed a hungry table of 4, with leftovers.
- Keep this in mind for a weekend dish, since it does involve multiple pots, pans and baking sheets.
- Save time by using prepared marinara sauce and making the white cheese sauce up to 2 days ahead (keep refrigerated).
- To freeze: Mix the cooked pasta and cheese sauce in a large, freezer-friendly baking dish. Top with the eggplant, marinara sauce, remaining Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Cool completely, cover securely and freeze up to 1 month. Bake directly from the freezer at 375F until hot, about 25-30 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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Can this be frozen for a post partum meal? If so do you have any recommendations on how to freeze or reheat? Thanks so much!
Yes, for sure! I just updated the recipe notes section with freezing directions.
Thank you so much for the update!!! Going to prep this for post partum this week. We had it for dinner last night and it was AMAZING!
So happy to hear that! Congratulations :))
Hm, I don’t see any reason not to simplify the recipe by cutting up the eggplant and roasting it in a casserole dish or big cast iron pan without dredging, then once the macaroni and bechamel cheese sauce are ready, top it with shredded mozzarella, the mac, the cheese sauce, and then more cheese and breadcrumbs over the top.
Would save a bunch of steps or at least make them coalesce more easily.
Typically eggplant Parmesan has a breadcrumb coating, which has a nice textural crunch. If you won’t miss that, go ahead and skip that step. That said, I would consider roasting the eggplant in a dish or pan large enough to hold it one layer, or it will become mushy.
Oh god, it looks so so so delicious! I really want to cook it! Wish me luck, I will do it tomorrow. 🙂
Karen- every time I click over to your site I am blown away by how gorgeous your photos are! You are so talented!
Aw, Kate, thank you for saying that!
I definitely love the idea of double comfort food with mac and cheese And eggplant parm all at once! Adding veg sounds like it would make the mac & cheese much easier to eat in huge amazing servings too. 🙂
Eileen – yes, absolutely double the comfort. Can’t be bad, right?!