5 from 6 votes

Best Aubergine Parmigiana Recipe (Melanzane alla Parmigiana)

Name: Best Aubergine Parmigiana Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 onion, finely diced ((£0.15)); 4 garlic cloves, crushed ((£0.39)); 1 kg 2 packs passata ((£0.57x2)=(£1.14)); 30 g of fresh basil ((£0.60)); 3 or 4 large aubergines, cut into 1cm thick rounds ((£2.85)); 80 g Parmesan ((£2.60/2)=(£1.30)); 250 g 2 balls mozzarella (£0.89x2)=(£1.78) ((£0.89x2)=(£1.78)); 3 slices of stale bread (blitzed to breadcrumbs); Salt and Pepper; 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 tsp dried oregano; 2 tbsp rapeseed oil

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Mimi Harrison Updated onFebruary 25, 2026

This Italian baked aubergine parmigiana includes a crispy breadcrumb topping plus layers of cheese and tomato sauce. It’s a family favorite in our house!

Prep time: 10

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 1

£1.36

Makes: 6

mains

Italian

Freezable

This aubergine parmigiana will be your new favourite quick & easy meal! We’ll make this Italian recipe with fried aubergine, tomato sauce, and gooey cheese in each layer. My aubergine parmigiana recipe is vegetarian-friendly, super easy to create, and pairs perfectly with my Rocket Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes.

A white square dish with aubergine parmigiana topped with a golden browned cheesy topping and browned breadcrumbs next to a wooden board with grated cheese and basil leaves.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

✅ Recipe Name: Best Aubergine Parmigiana Recipe (Melanzane alla Parmigiana)
🕦 Ready in: 1 hour
🤝 Serves: 6
🍴 Calories: 530kcal
🧑‍🍳 Main ingredients: aubergine, passata, stale bread, mozzarella
✨ Summary: This Italian baked aubergine parmigiana includes a crispy breadcrumb topping & layers of cheese and tomato sauce. It’s a family favourite!

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Why you’ll love this recipe

Family Favorite: With layers of fried eggplant, cheese, and sauce, this easy aubergine parmigiana has a delicious flavour that everyone in our family will love. It’s vegetarian, so cheesy, and super quick to make – you’ll only need about 20 minutes! My One-Pan Mince Pasta is another great option.
Versatile: This aubergine parmigiana works both as a side dish or main dish. It has enough servings to feed a crowd, especially if you double or triple the recipe. I love to pair it with these Super Crispy Ninja Airfryer Roast Potatoes.
Perfect technique: A few steps make ALL the difference in this easy aubergine bake – frying the aubergine first prevents soggy layers, breadcrumbs add a nice crunch, and the slow simmered sauce gives the dish so much flavour.

Love aubergine? Consider making these other aubergine dishes during the week: Gochujang Eggplant, Grilled Aubergine Curry and Crispy Soy Tofu, Aubergine & Rice.

Table of Contents

Ingredients

Passata: For this aubergine parmigiana, you’ll be using tomato passata as a base. If you can’t find passata at the store, you can also use plain tomato sauce. Or, make homemade passata using fresh tomatoes.
Aubergine: The aubergine in this recipe is the star of the show, providing a delicious flavour and heartiness to the dish. You can also use zucchini rounds if you prefer, which you can then also hide in this Healthy Chicken Lasagna (my fav trick!).
Stale Bread: This parmigiana recipe gets its crunch from a layer of stale, toasted homemade breadcrumbs. Premade breadcrumbs, including Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs and panko crumbs, will also work for this recipe. I actually use toasted panko as a topping for this Quick & Easy Boom Boom Shrimp, so do yourself a favour and try that one next!!

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations/ Adaptations

Baked vs fried option: You could bake the aubergine instead of frying it before assembly. Brush the slices lightly with olive oil and roast at 200°C (390°F) for 15-20 minutes until soft and lightly golden before layering the dish.
Lighter version: If you prefer a lighter aubergine parmigiana, reduce the cheese slightly and use part-skim mozzarella. You can also grill or bake the aubergine instead of frying to cut down on oil while still keeping plenty of flavour. Consider pairing the aubergine parmesan with my Cast Iron Chicken Breast for a healthy meal.
Make it vegan: Swap the mozzarella and parmesan for your favourite dairy-free alternatives, or use a sprinkle of nutritional yeast for a savoury finish. Make sure your breadcrumbs are egg-free if using shop-bought. This Easy Gochujang Eggplant is also vegan and so delish!

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Pair this with one of these protein-rich mains for an even tastier meal: Air Fryer Chicken Bites, Salmon in the Air Fryer or Easy Turkey Steak.

How to make Aubergine Parmigiana (Step-by-Step)

Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C)

Set a non-stick deep pan over a medium heat and add one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and the onion. Season with salt and pepper and fry for about five minutes (Image 1).
Then add the garlic and dried oregano, fry for a further minute (Image 2).

2 step by step photos, the first with finely sliced onions in a large saucepan and the second with the onions fried and stirred with a wooden spoon.

3. Using a non stick frying pan over a high heat, add half a tablespoon of rapeseed oil and fry a batch of the aubergine rounds for two minutes on each side until golden brown.

The aubergine rounds must make full contact with the pan, so you may have to fry around four batches using half a tablespoon of rapeseed oil for each batch. It should take about 16 minutes in total (Image 3).

4. Then add the passata and 300 millilitres of water. Add half of the fresh basil to the sauce and allow to simmer (Image 4).

2 step by step photos, the first with finelyaubergines browning in a pan and the second with tomato sauce with seasoning in a saucepan with a wooden spoon.

* While the sauce cooks and the aubergine is frying, add the breadcrumbs to a separate frying pan with one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over a medium/low heat. Season with salt and pepper and fry until golden brown, stirring frequently to prevent burning.

5. Assemble the Parmigiana in an ovenproof dish, measuring around 25cm x 25cm. Spread 2 ladles of the tomato sauce across the base of the dish (Image 5).

6. Add a layer of aubergines, three tablespoons of breadcrumbs and three tablespoons of Parmesan, sprinkled evenly (Image 6).

2 step by step photos, the first with a rectangular white dish with tomato sauce mix added and the second with pieces of browned aubergine on the sauce.

Repeat the process in step 5 for another layer. For the final layer add the aubergine, then the sauce.

7. Now to prepare the mozzarella. Tear it into pieces and lay across one half of a clean tea towel. Pat dry with the other half of the tea towel and press lightly to remove the excess moisture (Image 7).

8. Top the final layer of the Parmigiana with the dry, torn mozzarella and the remaining breadcrumbs (Image 8).

2 step by step photos, the first with a rectangular white dish with mozzarella peices added to the tomato mix and the second with breadcrumbs added to the dish.

9. Brush a light layer of olive oil over some foil to prevent sticking. Place over the dish, oil side facing down and pop in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, take off the foil (Image 9).

10. Then return to the oven for a further ten minutes until golden brown. Leave to stand for two minutes, then tuck in! (Image 10).

2 step by step photos, the first with the rectangular dish covered with foil and the second with the now golden browned filled in the white dish.

Need inspiration for some other main meal recipes? Try my; Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta, Cottage Cheese Pasta and Air fryer Halloumi

Tips for the best results

To make the best aubergine parmegiana, slice the eggplant as evenly as possible to ensure the pieces cook evenly. If you have some that are way thicker, you’ll end up with tough, undercooked eggplant slices.
Let the eggplant slices sit with salt before patting them dry to help remove extra moisture. This step also removes bitterness and helps create softer eggplant pieces in this aubergine parmigiana.
Since this parmigiana aubergine uses simple ingredients, it will yield the best results if you use good-quality items, especially a good passata. If you don’t, you’ll notice a difference in the flavour.

A white square dish with aubergine parmigiana topped with a golden browned cheesy topping and browned breadcrumbs on a blue background.

What is Aubergine Parmigiana?

Aubergine parmigiana, also known as eggplant parmesan or melanzane alla Parmigiana, is a delicious vegetarian Italian recipe. The dish is associated with the southern part of Italy, and its history is a bit of a mystery. Eggplant arrived in Italy in the 9^th century, but it was not until the late 1700s that the first version of the dish was seen in a recipe book. In 1837, the version of eggplant parm (like what we think of today) was first seen in a cookbook.

While the history is unknown, the ingredients are not! It’s crafted with thin slices of eggplant, which are fried and then covered in toasted breadcrumbs. These aubergine rounds are then added to a pan in between layers of tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and grated parmesan cheese.

How to Prepare Aubergine for Parmigiana:

How to slice aubergine: When making this quick aubergine parmigiana, I cut the aubergines into 1cm thick pieces. Slice the pieces into as similar of sizes as possible so they cook evenly in the pan.
How to fix watery aubergine: If your eggplant is watery when making aubergine parmigiana, the best solution is salting the slices. Let them sit with the salt for 30 minutes to an hour, which helps draw out the excess moisture. Then, pat them dry with paper towels and follow the steps noted in the recipe card.
What to do with eggplant skin: You can actually eat the skin of aubergines. I love leaving it on for this recipe, as it gives the dish a good amount of flavour.

Serving Suggestions

Aubergine parmigiana is delicious with some crusty bread, or served over a bed of cooked noodles. You can also keep the meal light with a fresh green salad on the side, or pair it with grilled chicken or baked pork.

Try it with:

A white square dish with aubergine parmigiana topped with a golden browned cheesy topping and browned breadcrumbs and fresh basil leaves.

Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions

This aubergine parmigiana is a great make-ahead recipe! Simply follow the steps from 2 through 9, when you cover the baking dish with foil. Instead of putting it in the oven, keep it in the fridge for up to one day. Then, preheat the oven and cook it according to the recipe. It may need a few extra minutes since you’ll be cooking the recipe with cold ingredients.

It keeps for a few days after cooking, too:

Refrigerator: Once the aubergine fully cools, cover the baking pan with foil and keep the leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Freezer: You can also freeze the parm leftovers in an airtight container for 2-3 months. When reheating this recipe from frozen, allow it to thaw first in the fridge overnight.

Reheating: Either heat it in the microwave for a few minutes or preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C) and cook the eggplant parmigiana for about 20 minutes (or until warmed).

FAQs

Why did my aubergine turn out tough?

There are a few reasons why aubergine may be tough in aubergine parmigiana. For one, it is tough and chewy if it’s undercooked. Be sure to fry the rounds first to ensure they’re fully cooked. You may also find the eggplant tough if you leave the skin on. You can prevent a chewy bite in the eggplant slices by peeling them first.

Can you bake aubergine instead of frying it for parmigiana?

Yes, you can roast it in the oven with a little olive oil instead of pan-frying it for a healthy aubergine parmigiana. However, this method will add time to the recipe. Instead of 2 minutes per side, it will take about 15-20 minutes to roast the eggplant before assembling the layers and cooking it for another 30 minutes in the oven.

Should you peel aubergine before making parmigiana?

It’s really up to your preference! I love the bite it adds to the dish, but if you want softer pieces of eggplant, you can peel them before making the baked aubergine parmigiana.

Do you need to salt aubergine before making aubergine parmigiana?

I recommend salting the eggplant first, as it helps draw out excess moisture and creates creamier eggplant slices in your melanzane alla parmigiana.

Here are some other Italian favorite recipes to try after this one; Spaghetti Chorizo Carbonara, Spaghetti al Limone and Delicious Tagliatelle Carbonara.

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