Spicy Baked Eggplant Parm

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To be completely honest, this is my second time EVER making (or attempting to make) eggplant parmigiana. When I was thinking of how I wanted to make it, I initially had ideas of adding some masalas here and there but as I started to make it, I realized I wanted to keep it a bit more traditional with just a TEENY bit of the chutneylife flare.

If you’re ordering eggplant parmigiana at a restaurant it is usually breaded and fried but I really wanted to avoid all of that extra work (yes I wanted to avoid the messy dredging in eggs/flour etc- NOT avoiding the calories, I promise) and so I decided I would make a BAKED version that would taste JUST as good as the fried version ( I succeeded, FYI).

I use my FAVE jarred arrabbiata (spicy marinara basically) sauce made by Rao’s and it can be found in most grocery stores or on amazon. It is the only sauce I have ever used that requires NO extra tweaking and it has no preservatives- all fresh ingredients! Legit, it is good right out of the bottle! Also, don’t hate me for not shredding my own block of cheese for this recipe. I had this 6 cheese Italian blend by Sargento sitting in the fridge and it was too tempting to not take a short cut, so I did it. If I wasn’t being lazy, I would shred some parmesan, asiago, fontina, and mozzarella and it would be SO DREAMY!! So as I always say, don’t be lazy like me…shred your cheeses folks…or be lazy..whatever makes you happy ?

I also am NOT a fan of ricotta so on the off chance it sneaks into one of my recipes ( like it did in this one), I make it as flavorful as possible. I love scallions and serrano peppers in my homemade red sauce pastas so I decided it would be a safe bet to add these two ingredients into the ricotta. I also would highly suggest adding some cilantro to give it a little desi flavor! Have fun with it and try whatever you like!

As always, if you share on social media please tag @thechutneylife because I seriously enjoy drooling over all of your pics!! Lots of Love & Happy Eating ?

Spicy Eggplant Parm

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SERVES: 4-6 Servings

PREP TIME: 10 mins

COOK TIME: 45 mins

TIME: 55 mins

Ingredients

1 lb. eggplant, sliced to 1/4 inch slices

3 Cups bottled red sauce ( I use my favorite, Rao's Arrabbiata Sauce (24 oz. Jar))

2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend ( I used Sargento 6 cheese Italian) Asiago, Mozzarella, Parmesan would be fine

1 -2 Jalepeños sliced

Panko Topping:

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1 tbsp evoo

1/2 tsp chili flakes

1 crushed garlic clove

Chili Garlic Olive Oil:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves sliced garlic

1/2 tsp chili flakes

1 tsp oregano

salt & pepper

Ricotta Mixture:

Combine the following in a food processor until smooth:

1.5 cups ricotta

2 serranos, diced and seeded

1/2 cup scallions sliced

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp oregano

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 Degrees.
Heat a small saucepan on low heat and all of the ingredients listed under chili garlic oil and heat until garlic has become lightly golden in color (5-10 minutes). Remove from heat.
Lay eggplant slices evenly spread apart on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides.
Take the chili garlic oil and using a brush, coat all of the eggplant slices liberally on both sides.
Bake eggplant for 30-40 minutes until cooked. Rotate pan once. ( I cook mine 3/4 of the way as it will finish cooking later when it is assembled)
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat and add the panko bread crumbs, chili flakes and garlic clove and heat until the panko crumbs begin to get toasty (2-3 minutes). Set aside.

Assemble in the following order:

Lay down 1 cup arrabbiata sauce
Top with sliced eggplant in an even layer
spread about 1/2 cup of ricotta mixture on top of the eggplant slices (or enough to cover eggplant)
Top with layer of shredded italian cheeses
Top with 1 cup Sauce, sliced eggplant & Repeat layers.
Top off with sliced jalapenos, and bake covered for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. (stick a fork in the eggplant to make sure it is cooked all the way)
Remove from oven, top with bread crumb mixture. and reheat for few more minutes un-covered.
Serve HOT out of the oven and enjoy ?

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This recipe is so delicious. I was nervous about making it because my eggplant never turns out well. This recipe however, will not disappoint. I’m giving it 5 stars for the flavor, however never time I make this, I would use 2 to 3 pounds of eggplant. The recipe called for 1 pound, which was only 1 eggplant (it really wasn’t enough). Also, depending on the amount of eggplant you use, you may have leftover tomato sauce and ricotta.

Overall, amazing recipe. Thank you so much for the recipe. You’re so talented!

I’ve made this four times so far and I LOVE it!!

Hey Palak,

Tried this today it came out awesome. I have some of the Ricotta mixture left over can I use it in something else.
Thanks for the recipe inspiration! It was yummy and a hit in my household!

First off delicious!! However I found that some of the ingredients to be coming up short. I definitely needed 3x the garlic oil mixture. I was only able to LIGHTLY coat HALF the eggplants on ONE side.

Hey! Thank’s so much for the feedback, I’ll take another look at the measurements and make sure its accurate! 🙂

Hi Palak,
I’ve made this Eggplant Parm 3 times now and I can’t stop making it! It is so flavorful and I love the addition of the jalapenos on top. When I saw the recipe and noticed RAO’S HOMEMADE (My favorite sauce brand), I knew this was going to be the best Eggplant Parm I’ll ever taste! 🙂

hey Damini! Thank You so much! This eggplant parm is one of my FAVORITES! Its so great to make for a large crowd and soak up that delicious Rao’s sauce with some garlic bread!! Im so happy you loved it as much as I do!

I love your food recipes

Hi Palak,

Just made this last night, in the words of my British husband, “Babe, this is bloody delicious” LOL It was awesome, I added some ground black pepper and cilantro to the ricotta as well – so yummy!

Thank you for the amazing recipes – I havent been disappointed by any of them!

Hi Palak! I made Eggplant Parm for dinner tonight and it was the best Eggplant I’ve ever tasted. I’m never ordering again at the restaurant. Thank you so much!
I have tried many of your recipes and so far none has disappointed me ?. You’re doing great with all the recipes!

Miky, what a compliment!!!You’ve inspired me to make this today for dinner! 🙂 Thank you for the support <3

Hi! This looks delicious! I enjoy eggplant parm but am always missing a certain depth of flavor, which I’m pretty sure this will fulfill. Will definitively be making this soon. Quick question – what did you serve this with…bread, pasta, or just by itself?

Hi Sabeen! I so feel you on eggplant parmigiana lacking flavor! I order it all the time at restaurants and I am always disappointed ! To answer your question, I didn’t serve this with anything because it is very filling and hearty, it doesn’t need a side! However if you want to make it a more complete meal, you could always start with a salad as a small first course or serve the eggplant with some garlic bread- I def would not suggest pasta- it would be too heavy in my opinion. Thanks for stopping by the blog, hope you enjoy this dish as much as I did! I ate the leftovers for days!! lol

Spicy Baked Eggplant Parm

Spicy Eggplant Parm