Easy Eggplant Casserole Recipe
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Eggplant Casserole layers grilled eggplant with marinara, mozzarella, and Parmesan, then bakes until the top is bubbling. If you’ve only ever had eggplant that turned to mush or wept water into the dish, this is the one that fixes both. The grill does the heavy lifting, and salting the slices first is what keeps the finished dish from going soggy.
After years of vegetarian cooking, the step I never skip is drying the eggplant properly, because that’s the difference between distinct layers and a wet bake. I build this the way I’d build a lasagna, with the eggplant standing in for the pasta. It comes together in less than one hour, and it reheats well enough that I plan for leftovers on purpose.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Grilling the eggplant first adds a light char and drives off water, so the layers stay distinct instead of collapsing.
- Salting the slices before they cook pulls out moisture and some of the bitterness, which is what prevents a watery casserole.
- Mozzarella in two forms, shredded and torn fresh, gives you both an even melt and stretchy pieces where it counts.
- You can layer it ahead and bake it later, and it keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days, so it fits a make-ahead week.
- Tender eggplant, marinara, and melted cheese make this filling on its own, and you don’t need a meat substitute to round it out.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll need all the ingredients shown in the photograph below.
Eggplant. Two large eggplants, sliced thin. A mandoline gets you even slices around an eighth of an inch, which matters because uneven slices cook at different rates and stack with gaps. Salt them before they cook.
Marinara sauce. You need about three cups. A good jarred sauce works here, but if you want to make your own, my marinara sauce recipe simmers canned tomatoes with garlic and oregano and freezes well, so I usually have a batch on hand.
Mozzarella, two ways. Shredded mozzarella melts evenly through the layers, and torn fresh mozzarella gives you the stretchy pieces. Tearing the balls into irregular pieces rather than slicing them is what creates those cheese pulls when you serve it.
Parmesan. A quarter cup over the top browns as it bakes. Buy a block labeled vegetarian and grate it yourself if you’d rather be sure of the rennet.
How to Make Eggplant Casserole
A complete printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.
Prep the Oven and Eggplant
Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and heat a grill to medium-high. Slice the eggplants thin, ideally on a mandoline, then season them with salt and pepper. Letting the salted slices sit for about 20 minutes before they cook draws out moisture and some bitterness.
Grill the Eggplant
Grill the slices in batches until they are browned on both sides, then set them aside. This is the step that adds the char and keeps the casserole from baking up wet, so don’t skip it.
Layer the Casserole
Grease a baking dish. Layer the grilled eggplant, then marinara sauce, then mozzarella, and repeat until everything is used. Tear the fresh mozzarella balls into irregular pieces as you go rather than slicing it, which is what gives you the stretchy pulls when you serve. Finish with a layer of sauce and the Parmesan on top.
Bake and Serve
Bake for about 15 minutes, until the casserole is bubbling and the cheese has melted. Give it 5 minutes out of the oven before you cut it so the layers set and you’ll get clean portions rather than a soupy plate. Serve hot, topped with fresh parsley and basil.
Recipe Notes and Expert Tips
- Rest before slicing. Five minutes out of the oven lets the layers set so you can cut clean portions.
- Slice thin and even. A mandoline around an eighth of an inch keeps every slice cooking at the same rate and stacks the layers without gaps.
- Salt and wait. Sprinkle the slices with salt and give them about 20 minutes before grilling. It draws out water and bitterness, and it seasons every layer rather than only the top. Any watery vegetable benefits from this, which is exactly why I salt and drain the zucchini in my cheesy zucchini casserole the same way before it goes in the dish.
Recipe Variations
- Cook the eggplant without a grill. Roast the salted slices in the oven or brown them in a pan on the stovetop instead. It skips the char the grill gives you, but it still drives off the water that matters. This is the alternative already suggested on the recipe, though the casserole itself was tested with grilled slices.
- Add a crunchy top. Scatter breadcrumbs or crushed crackers over the cheese before baking for a crisp layer against the soft eggplant. It hasn’t been tested here, so add it as an extra topping rather than a change to the layers below.
How to Store Leftovers
For leftovers, refrigerate the casserole in an airtight container within two hours of baking and keep it for up to 4 days. Reheat portions in the oven or the microwave until hot all the way through. Covering the dish with foil in the oven keeps the top from drying out.
To freeze, portion the cooled casserole into airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before you reheat.
To make it ahead, assemble the casserole through the layering step, cover it tightly, and refrigerate it unbaked, then bake it the next day. Add a few minutes to the bake time since it’s going in cold.
If you’re taking this to a potluck, bake it first, then keep it hot on the way over. Wrap the dish and pack it in an insulated carrier so it stays out of the range where bacteria grow, and plan to get it on the table within two hours of leaving your kitchen, or one hour if it’s a hot day above 90°F. If that timing won’t work, carry it cold and reheat it through once you arrive.
What to Serve With Eggplant Casserole
I treat this as the center of the plate and keep the sides light. A crisp salad cuts the richness well, and my Caprese salad brings the same tomato, basil, and mozzarella flavors in a lighter form that does not repeat the weight of the bake.
For something to catch the sauce, turn my homemade French bread into garlic bread by spreading it with garlic herb butter and baking it until crisp. A bowl of quinoa or couscous on the side works too if you’d like the meal more filling.
More Cheesy Casserole Recipes to Try at Home
I keep coming back to a good vegetable casserole, and these are the ones I make on repeat.
- My creamy broccoli casserole bakes under a crushed cheese-cracker top for a crunch against the soft filling.
- My Brussels sprouts casserole roasts the sprouts first, so they brown before they go under a simple onion sauce.
- My cheesy Southern pineapple casserole is the sweet-and-savory one I bring to holiday tables.
- My cheesy hashbrown casserole is the one I make when I need something hearty to feed a group.
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants large
- Salt and pepper
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 1 ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 2 balls fresh mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley to serve thinly sliced
- Fresh basil to serve
Video
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Heat grill to medium-high.
- Slice eggplants very thin using a mandolin if possible. Season with salt and pepper.Salt and pepper, 2 eggplants
- Grill eggplant slices in batches until browned on both sides. Set aside.
- Grease a baking dish and layer the eggplants, marinara sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Top with sauce and Parmesan cheese.3 cups marinara sauce, 1 ½ cup mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, 2 balls fresh mozzarella cheese
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until bubbly.
- Serve with fresh parsley and basil.Fresh parsley to serve, Fresh basil to serve
Notes
Nutrition
