Oven roasted eggplant brings a meaty sort of richness to your meal without as many calories as that burger you’ve been craving. And because these are baked and not fried, you still get plenty of crispy crunch without ruining your waistline.
I guess I’m on a little bit of an eggplant kick these days. Sorry about that. Last week we did eggplant pizzas, but I feel like I still need to redeem myself because I’ve been pretty bad over on my Facebook page. It’s been all chocolate over there–big chocolate cakes and no bake cookies that turn out perfectly every time. That stuff makes our bellies happy but not our butts…I have to do better.
I feel a little guilty about it all, so I feel like I need to redeem myself and your waistline.
The first thing I learned when I created this breaded roasted eggplant recipe is that you DO NOT need salt. The Parmesan cheese is salty enough and the flavors concentrate as the eggplant roasts–you won’t miss it.
These are basically a no oil version except for a little cooking spray on the baking pan. I even ran the recipe through a nutritional calculator and I’m happy to report each serving (about 5 slices of 1/2″ thick eggplant) is about 175 calories. I can hear your waist getting happier. If waistlines got happy, I mean. If you want to have an eggplant chip–slice these as thin as you can get them and bake until golden brown–about 15 minutes or so. If you like them thicker (I do) slice them 1/2″ thick and roast 30-40 minutes, turning them halfway through for even browning.
Roasted Eggplant
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 cups Panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.Slice the eggplant thin for crispy chips or thicker, depending on how you want it--up to about 1/2" thick at the most.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg and water.
- On a plate blend the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic and pepper.
- Dip the eggplant into the egg, then into the breadcrumbs pressing down firmly to make sure they are coated all over.
- Lightly spray a cookie sheet with the cooking spray and lay the eggplant in one layer. You may need more than one sheet for all the slices. Lightly spray the tops of the eggplant with more cooking spray.
- If baking thin chips, bake about 15 minutes, turning once halfway through. For thicker slices, bake 30-40 minutes until golden, flipping halfway. Serve with marinara sauce or melt a little mozzarella over the top and serve with pasta.
Mario "Vitale" Morrone says
What egg?
Recipe Instructions: “In a small bowl, beat egg and water”
What egg?
Rachel Ballard says
Uhhh…I guess that would be the egg I forgot to put in the recipe but it’s there now. 🙂
Sara Elmore says
Tried a couple of weeks ago & is really good, thank you!! Making again to have with my version of marinara & a pasta…hubs even likes! I admit, I did use crushed up unsalted crackers, not panko and it worked well. Nice meat substitute.
Rachel Ballard says
Hey Sara! That sounds wonderful! And crackers works well. Just whatever you have that will stay crispy is fine. –Rachel
Christine Allen says
Hello,
Can I use regular or maybe even seasoned breadcrumbs instead of the Panko breadcrumbs?
Rachel Ballard says
Hey Christine, Yes I’d think so. The regular breadcrumbs may not be quite as crunchy after it bakes but you’re welcome to try. Panko is so crunchy, that they are almost foolproof–but certainly use what you have or like. –Rachel
Nitin Dani says
Was excellent. Thanks for the recipe. What I also did was sprinkle some finely chopped garlic and onion on the top that became crispy after baking and was a great addition to the marinara sauce.
Rachel Ballard says
Wow thanks Nitin! This is one of my favorites too! –Rachel
Rachel Ballard says
Fantastic!
Lou says
Delicious- made these for dinner tonight and layered with chargrilled portobello mushrooms, zucchini, red capsicum, red onion, light feta cheese, and an indian chutney. Served with baby spinach, beetroot and cherry tomato salad. Great combination and my boyfriend especially loved the panko crust.
Rachel Ballard says
Wow Lou–it sounds like you really made this recipe your own! I’m glad it was good. –Rachel