This cheesy eggplant bake is a really easy and non-fiddly version of a classic eggplant parmesan, with roasted aubergines, rich tomato sauce, and gooey cheese.
I could truly eat this cheesy eggplant bake every single day. It’s layered up with slices of melt-in-your-mouth roasted eggplant, rich tomato sauce, and two kinds of gooey cheese. Serve it up with a slice of garlic bread for dipping, and it’s heaven on a plate!
By the way: I use the words ‘eggplant’ and ‘aubergine’ interchangeably in this post. ‘Aubergine’ is just the British word for ‘eggplant’. Although I’d usually use the word aubergine, I do lean towards ‘eggplant’ when I’m talking about an established dish like eggplant parmesan.
Easy eggplant parmesan
Eggplant parmesan is one of my favourite dishes of all time, but the cooking method I see most often can be a bit of a faff.
A lot of versions of eggplant parmesan involve individually breading slices of aubergine, by dipping in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Then the slices are fried or baked until they’re crispy. Then, you layer it all up with sauce and cheese, and bake again.
This cheesy eggplant bake ends up tasting almost identical, but it skips the fiddly step of breading the slices of aubergine individually.
It’s eggplant parmesan, but a very low effort version. Hurrah!
How to make cheesy eggplant bake
Step 1: Slice and roast the aubergines
Slice up a couple of eggplants, and roast them until they’re soft.
Don’t skip this step! I know it sounds tempting to just use your eggplants raw, but it’s 100% worth pre-roasting them. Raw eggplants release liquid as they cook, which will make your tomato sauce thin and watery.
Instead, roasted aubergine becomes soft, and truly melts in your mouth. It’s one of my favourite roasted vegetables of all time.
You can pan-fry the aubergine slices instead if you prefer, but I prefer roasting. It takes a little longer, but it’s entirely hands-off, so you can sit and put your feet up.
Even though the aubergine still needs pre-cooking, it’s 100% easier and less fiddly than having to dip each piece individually into flour, egg and breadcrumbs.
Step 2: Layer it up
Next, it’s time to add those slices of roasted aubergine to a baking dish, along with your favourite tomato sauce (this slow cooker tomato sauce is spectacular, but just use a shop-bought sauce if you prefer!).
Don’t forget to add plenty of cheese – both fresh, creamy mozzarella, and grated cheddar. These two give the ultimate combination of flavour, saltiness, creaminess, and gooeyness.
Layer everything up, alternating between eggplant, sauce, and cheese. You’ll get a bit of everything in every scoop.
Step 3: Add a crispy topping, and bake
Sprinkle a little extra cheese on top, along with some breadcrumbs. These will help the top of the eggplant bake to crisp up nicely.
Then just pop the whole thing in the oven for another half an hour or so, until the cheese is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling up around the edges.
How to serve cheesy eggplant bake
This eggplant bake could either be served as a main course, or a side dish.
To be honest, it’s so insanely delicious that you’ll probably want to make it the main focus of your plate, rather than merely something on the side. We just had it with some garlic bread and a bit of salad, and it was utterly perfect.
If you do want a more substantial meal, it would go really well with some spaghetti, cooked simply in tomato sauce. A cheesy tofu meatball or two would be great too! You could turn it into a real Italian feast.
Some aubergine FAQs:
Do you need to salt eggplant before use?
In years gone by, aubergines tasted quite bitter, and salting reduced that bitterness. You’d just sprinkle salt onto the slices of aubergine, leave them for a while, then rinse and cook.
However, these days aubergines just aren’t that bitter. They’re bred to be tasty, even without salting. So that’s a step that is no longer necessary – another win for lazy cooks everywhere!
Do you need to peel eggplant?
You don’t need to peel eggplant before use, especially when you’re serving it roasted, like in this cheesy eggplant bake. As it cooks, the skin softens right up, and you barely even notice it in the finished dish. In fact, it gives some support for the middle of the aubergine, which becomes even softer as it roasts.
Cheesy eggplant bake
Ingredients
- 2 medium aubergines (eggplants)
- Spray oil
- 350 g (~ 12 oz) good quality tomato pasta sauce
- 75 g grated cheddar cheese (~3/4 cup when grated)
- 125 g (~ 4 1/2 oz) ball of fresh mozzarella
- 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Cut the eggplants into 1cm slices. Lay them in a single layer on a baking tray, and spray each side lightly with oil. Roast at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for around 30 minutes, turning them over halfway. They should be fairly soft but not overly crispy.
- Add a spoonful of tomato sauce to the bottom of a baking dish (mine was a 6 inch circle, but anything similar will be fine), and spread it around. Layer up the slices of roasted eggplant, the grated cheddar and the fresh mozzarella with the remaining tomato sauce. I made 3 layers of each in total, but it doesn’t really matter. Top the dish with any remaining cheese, and the breadcrumbs.
- Return to the oven for a further 30 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and crispy, and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for 1/2 the recipe.
Love a cheesy bake? Try this creamy chickpea bake, with a tasty 1-ingredient sauce!
Sandy
Thursday 14th of April 2022
If I could give this 10 stars I would do so. It is fantastic. I'm very particular with eggplant recipes and can usually take them or leave them. This is perfect. I may add some extra eggplant the next time because it is so delicious. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian
Wednesday 20th of April 2022
That's such lovely feedback, thank you Sandy! :)
Paul Fixter
Monday 28th of March 2022
Made this tonight as a family meal. Thought the kids would complain about it with it being aubergines but we had clean plates all round - it went down well! Thanks as always Becca!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian
Tuesday 29th of March 2022
Ahh that's great to hear, thanks Paul!
Angela
Thursday 2nd of December 2021
Made this for the second time tonight….totally gorgeous! I used a carton of mascarpone pasta sauce but arrabbiata would be great too. I could have kept on eating it but reined myself in lol !
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian
Friday 3rd of December 2021
Ooh mascarpone sauce sounds incredible in this. Glad you enjoyed it!
Jill
Sunday 24th of October 2021
I made this today and it was delicious. What a great easy recipe! I used jarred pasta sauce and tossed in some sautéed mushrooms, just to be different, and served with spaghetti.
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian
Tuesday 9th of November 2021
Ooh mushrooms would be great in this too. Glad you enjoyed it! :)