Tasty Baked Eggplant. No frying and great flavor and crunch. Add your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy!
Tasty baked eggplant or aubergine is a wonderful easy recipe with a great texture and taste.
Where do eggplants come from?
The aubergine also called eggplant is a plant. The plant bears fruit which is eaten as a vegetable. It’s related to the potato and tomato and can be eaten with the skin on.
Originally aubergine comes from India and Sri Lanka, but it is found all over the world and popular in dishes such as the Greek Moussaka, or simply grilled or fried.
Let me introduce to you Nanny Pat! She’s always coming up with great ideas and tips and tricks when it comes to cooking. After all, Nanny Pat LOVES to cook!
Here we have a great way to make eggplants taste really good, and a perfect side to any meal.
Nanny Pat says this; “a quick way that I do my eggplant, just to eat as a side dish, or to make Parmigiana”
These eggplant slices can be served together with a BBQ, as a side dish, or as a snack.
Perhaps you’re hosting a party and want a variety of nibbles at your buffet table. These would be perfect.
You could keep them in the larger size of a slice, or cut them into smaller bite-sized pieces and then coat with the breadcrumbs and bake.
We’ve had a lot of people make these tasty baked eggplants and tell us they aren’t keen on eggplant but when they’ve tried these, they’ve been converted.
I was the same, I never really liked the texture of eggplant but these baked slices looked so delicious I thought I’d give it a go and from my first bite, I’ve never looked back. In fact, this is the only way I eat eggplant!
Serve these eggplant slices alongside your main meal, or as a snack with your favorite dipping sauce.
Personally, I enjoyed mine with some sweet chili dipping sauce, and my family enjoyed them with a bit of mayonnaise or tomato ketchup. You choose!
Some of you have asked about the skin, whether you peel first or leave as it. I left my skin on and it wasn’t tough after baking. Do whatever you prefer, it will be delicious either way.
Let’s see what Nanny Pat does with her tasty baked eggplant recipe. Please enjoy!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 – 20 minutes (depends how thick you slice your eggplant)
Yield: as many eggplants as you wish!
Ingredients
Eggplants
Beaten egg and a little milk
Panko Breadcrumbs (or Italian Breadcrumbs)
Olive Oil
Salt & pepper
*** Please note, there are no quantities given as it depends on how many eggplants you wish to use. You can buy a package of bread crumbs and what you don’t use, store in an airtight container for another time.
Instructions
1. Peel, slice, and dip slices in the beaten egg with a bit of milk, and coat on all sides in Panko (or Italian breadcrumbs).
2. Place slices in a baking pan, coated & heated, with a layer of Olive Oil.
3. Bake 425 F / 220 C / Gas 7 until the bottom is golden, then sprinkle tops with Olive oil, and turn over, and bake until golden again.
Add Salt and Pepper to taste.
Easy Peesy!
If you’d like to make a homemade dipping sauce, try this herb and lemon aioli from Savory Experiments. It would go perfectly with this recipe!
Delicious Salad Ideas
Here's a selection of easy and delicious salad recipes, perfect for lunch, dinner, parties or indeed anytime!
Pasta Party Salad! It's certainly popular at party time!
Avocado Egg Salad is a wonderfully easy recipe and very quick to make. Serve as a salad in a bowl or with some crusty bread warm from the oven. Delicious! Great for brunch, lunch or supper or party food!
Goat's Cheese Salad with warm Herb and Walnut Vinaigrette is a wonderful fresh tasting salad and easy to make. Delicious served with some warm bread fresh from the oven too!
Goat's Cheese Salad with warm Herb and Walnut Vinaigrette is a wonderful fresh tasting salad and easy to make. Delicious served with some warm bread fresh from the oven too!
Chicken Caesar Salad. A refreshing and wonderful tasting dish, made from scratch and easy too! Options for low calorie if you prefer.
Strawberry and Spinach salad with a delicious poppyseed dressing is to die for! Great for parties, BBQ's and as a side dish for lunch or dinner
The Best Easy Cucumber Salad. Great Flavors and always a hit! Very refreshing taste and crunch with a pickled flavor
Corn and Cucumber Picnic Salad. A very simple yet great tasting salad and perfect for the holidays!
Refreshing Spinach & Grape Salad with a delicious dressing! A wonderful tasting salad high in Vitamins and Minerals. Options to also add Apple and Bacon. Always a nice combination!
- Egg Plants
- Beaten egg and a little milk
- Panko Breadcrumbs or Italian Breadcrumbs
- Olive Oil
- Salt & pepper
-
Peel, slice, and dip slices in beaten egg with a bit of milk, and coat on all sides in Panko (or Italian breadcrumbs).
-
Place slices in a baking pan, coated & heated, with layer of Olive Oil.
-
Bake 425 F / 220 C / Gas 7 until bottom is golden, then sprinkle tops with Olive oil, and turn over, and bake until golden again.
-
Add Salt and Pepper to taste.
-
Easy Peesy!
Mary R says
I am not an eggplant person at all. But I saw your recipe and decided to give it a go. I used whole wheat bread crumbs and enhanced them with dried parsley, umami, garlic salt & Italian herbs. I also used coking spray in lieu of any oil.
OMG! These are so delicious and crunchy. I feel like I’m eating something very decadent! Delicious!
Thank you for the great recipe.
Arlene says
I do mine in the air fryer. I follow a low carb lifestyle so I use a mix of herbs, grated parmesan and ground pork rinds for my breading. They come out perfect!
Patti blau says
Try this recipe
Lee Spooner says
First time I’ve ever had eggplant! My family and I loved it! Can you tell me the weight watchers points for this recipe on the Freestyle program?
Thanks,
Lee
Evelyn says
Very 👍 i loved it. I didnt use the salt as i am on a low salt diet
But it was very good.
Me says
Eggplant is one word.
Sue says
Omg seriously
Linda says
Just made my eggplant. I will try it later. Looks and smells great!
Linda says
Can you use pork rinds as a substitute for the bread crumbs?
B says
Could you specify a little bit of milk, 1/3 c, 1/4c, etc. Thanks
Lovefoodies says
Hi B, a little bit of milk is about 1 tablespoon or so. It’s just enough to loosen the egg. Hope that helps!
Tim Sarjeant says
I was going to make these and then use for eggplant parmesan. If I make these early in the day will they get soft or soggy if I let them sit for a few hours before I assemble the parmesan in the evening?
Tim Sarjeant says
Answer my own question. I made the eggplant and it was awesome good and crunchy. Later that afternoon, 3 hours later made the parmesan, sauce top and bottom, cheese all over it and an hour after I put it all together it was still crunchy and tasty. Will definitely use this recipe again.
Cheryl says
Love, love love the crispy baked eggplant. Quick, easy and so crispy. Thank you!
Lisa says
I turned my oven to 425 degrees so that the eggplant was crispy and not soft. Also, I added grated Parmesan and Romano cheese to the Italian style bread crumbs.
Delicious!!!!!
Valentino Longo-Simone says
Should the baking pan be preheated before placing the eggplant slices on it?
Lyn Mackay says
Recipe instructs egg plant to be peeled but wouldn’t it completely collapse in the oven? Also one picture shows the egg plant not peeled, please explain.
Lovefoodies says
Hi Lyn, the peeling is down to personal preference. It won’t break up if it’s peels as the breadcrumbs keep it together. Personally I like the peel on but you choose what you prefer!
Veronica Lynch says
I usually add Parmesan, mixed herbs and garlic salt or garlic powder to the breadcrumbs. To keep the calories down, I place the slices on grease proof paper sprayed with low fat oil, then spray the top of the slices, turning them as suggested in the recipe
MPaula says
I recommend freezing bread crumbs (as well as grated Parmesan) to avoid mould. I do not peel the eggplant and love to serve it with lightly sautéed minced garlic (and red pepper flakes) and lemon juice. I can eat an eggplant by myself done this way. Thanks for the idea to bake rather than fry. Adding eggplant to my shopping list!
Linda Cameron says
I notice it says peel, slice & dip on the recipe but it looks like the outside peel is still on. Did you peel these completely?
Lovefoodies says
Hi Linda, it is optional if you want to peel or not. Nanny Pat likes to have hers peeled (the photo of them in the oven shows Nanny’s ones), and I also made this recipe and I didn’t peel mine, which is the photo you refer to. The skin was not chewy at all and found it very nice! So it is entirely up to you if you want to peel! Hope that helps and sorry for any confusion!
Adriana Fernandez says
We have been making breaded eggplants for a long time, my Italian Grandma passed it on. What we do after we slice the eggplant, we soak it for 5 to 10 minutes in warm water, they loose the sour taste (some people put them some coarse salt on the slices for some time, rinse and dry them. They turn out crispy and tasty. Really nice recipe.
lovefoodies says
Thanks for the tip Adriana. I have in the past put salt on them then rinsed off to remove the bitterness, but I’ve found now, (at least here in Holland and the UK), the egg plants are no longer with that bitter taste like it used to be some years ago. I guess many supermarkets/growers have changed something to make them so you are able to cook them without the soaking or salting. But it’s a great ti for those who still get the bitter tasting ones. 🙂
Mimi says
I can’t wait to make this. I love fried eggplant but it is sooooo greasy I rarely make it. I was wondering about making it in the oven but was afraid to try it and ruin perfectly good (and expensive) eggplant. Please give a big hug and kiss to your Nanny Pat for me and a big hug and kiss from me to you for sharing. Thanks!
lovefoodies says
Hi Mimi,
Thank you. Yes, these egg plants are in now way greasy at all, so I am sure you will enjoy them! They are crispy on the outside and soft inside, just perfect!
Please enjoy 🙂
sunny says
This is how I make eggplant as well.. I add some Romano cheese to the breadcrumbs and some finely chopped parsley .. delicious:)
lovefoodies says
Hi Sunny, yes, the cheese is also a lovely addition, and herbs. Yummy!
Adriana Fernandez says
Yes!! My husband adds Parmeggiano cheese, I’ll try parsley. They are used in breaded pork too. Yummy!!!
lovefoodies says
I’ll be coming over to yours for dinner next time you make the pork, sounds delicious!!