Ina Garten’s Roasted Eggplant Parmesan

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 60 mins

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 6 Servings

If all recipes could promise what this one does — all the deliciousness with none of the mess — it’s safe to say we’d all be living our very best lives. Ina Garten’s brilliant take on eggplant Parmesan, published in her cookbook, Cook Like a Pro, calls for roasting the eggplant instead of frying it, eliminating hot oil splashes and greasy cleanup entirely. The result is an uber-cheesy, saucy, crispy-crunchy eggplant bake, and cleanup is done before you even sit down to dig in.

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds eggplant, unpeeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced 1/4- to 1/3-inch thick
3/4 cup good olive oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce, such as Rao’s
1/2 cup julienned fresh basil leaves
1 pound fresh buffalo mozzarella, thinly sliced
8 ounces garlic and herb goat cheese, such as Montrachet
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Italian Parmesan cheese
1 1/3 cups fresh bread crumbs from a country loaf
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or parsley leaves
1/4 cup good olive oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F and arrange three racks evenly spaced.
Lay the eggplant in one layer on three sheet pans and brush both sides with olive oil, using all the oil. Sprinkle with the oregano, crushing it lightly in your hands, then sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the slices and rotate the pans in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes, until tender. Leave the oven at 400°F.
In a 10×14×2-inch ceramic baking dish, spread 1/3 of the marinara sauce. Arrange a third of the eggplant on top in one layer. Scatter a third of the basil, a third of the mozzarella, a third of the goat cheese, and a third of the Parmesan on top. Repeat twice, starting with the marinara and ending with the Parmesan, making sure each layer is evenly distributed.
For the topping, place the bread crumbs, garlic, and basil in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt and pulse to moisten the crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the dish.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.