There are some meals that take you back to special memories or places in your life and this Copy Cat Olive Garden Eggplant Parmigiana just so happens to be one of those meals for me.
Every birthday I’ve celebrated since the age of probably 13-14 has been at Olive Garden so as you can probably imagine, I have many wonderful memories spent in one Olive Garden or another.
Maybe that’s why I associate warm, comforting memories with Italian food and this recipe in particular, but whatever the case, I can assure you that you will love this Eggplant Parmigiana just as much as we do.
Olive Garden Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
2 large eggplants
3 eggs
2 cups Italian seasoned Panko breadcrumbs
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
3 cups Homemade Marinara Sauce
Salt & pepper to taste
Dried parsley flakes
How to Make Copycat Olive Garden Eggplant Parmigiana:
Preheat oven to 375F.
Cut off both ends of the eggplant (the stem and the bottom) and then use a sharp knife to carefully peel the eggplant.
Once your eggplants are completely peeled, place them on a cutting board and begin slicing them into rounds and then salt both sides of the eggplant slices.
Dip eggplant into beaten egg, and then roll in breadcrumbs.
Eggplant Parmigiana Olive Garden
Lay eggplant slices flat in a greased casserole dish or baking sheet. Do not stack the eggplant slices or they will not cook evenly.
Spray the eggplant slices with nonstick cooking spray – this will help the eggplant to get extra crispy while baking.
Bake the eggplant parmigiana at 375F for 20 minutes or until the eggplant is golden brown, crispy, and fork-tender.
Remove the eggplant parmesan from the oven and sprinkle lightly with mozzarella cheese and freshly grated Parmesan cheese, then place it back into the oven for 2-3 minutes or just long enough for the cheese to melt.
Top the Copy Cat Olive Garden Eggplant Parmigiana with Homemade Marinara and serve garnished with parsley flakes.
Other Great Recipes You’ll Love:
Copy Cat Olive Garden Eggplant Parmigiana
A healthier, baked, copycat version of Olive Garden's delicious Eggplant Parmigiana.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants peeled
- 3 eggs beaten
- 2 cups Italian Seasoned Panko Breadcrumbs
- 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 cups Marinara Sauce recipe linked in blog post
- salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- dried parsley flakes use as garnish
Instructions
Cut the ends off of two eggplants, then remove all peeling.
Slice each eggplant into 1/4 inch thick rounds and lightly salt both sides of the eggplant rounds.
Spray a 9x13 casserole pan with nonstick cooking spray and pre-heat the oven to 375F.
Pour the breadcrumbs into one bowl, then beat three eggs into a separate bowl.
Submerge each piece of eggplant individually into the beaten egg, then roll it in the bread crumbs until coated. Place the breaded eggplant into the casserole dish and repeat the process until all eggplant rounds are prepared.
NOTE: You may need to use more than one casserole dish since they will not cook evenly if they are overlapped or layered. If you have a large baking sheet, that would work well too.
Spray the prepared eggplant with nonstick cooking spray - this will help it to become crispy and browned in the oven.
Once the eggplant is prepared, place it in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the eggplant is fork-tender and the breadcrumb coating is golden brown and crispy.
Carefully remove the eggplant from the oven, sprinkle evenly with the shredded mozzarella & Parmesan cheese, and place back in the oven just until the cheese is melted (about 2-3 minutes).
Remove from the oven again, top with marinara sauce (recipe linked in the blog post) and parsley flakes, and enjoy!
I must make your Eggplant Parmigiana for my husband he will just love this recipe! Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing your post with us at Full Plate Thursday!
Miz Helen
I made this Eggplant Parmigiana for some visiting family a couple weeks back and it was a big hit! I loved how simple and easy it was to make and they loved it as well. Hope you all enjoy it as much as we did!
This sounds so delicious and healthy too! Pinned. I already put it on our menu for this week.
I hope you all love this easy dinner dish as much as we do!
This looks delicious! I love eggplant. Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party! Have a wonderful week.
Thank you! Eggplant has been a long-time favorite of mine as well.
The perfect meal without the cost of dinner out! Looks delicious!
Yes! We love this for a delicious date-night in meal!
Congratulations, your post is featured on Full Plate Thursday! Thanks so much for sharing it with us, we have pinned it to our special features board. Have a great week and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Oh my goodness thank you so much! My whole family has been sick, including myself, so I haven’t been on to check anything this past week. Thank you so very much! I am truly honored.
Love all your Recipes! This one i have to Try since It’s My fav at Olive Garden. I bet it’s a hit. You have some great recipes! I’m pinning it.
Thank you so much Sarah! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes here – this is my favorite recipe at Olive Garden too! 🙂
Delicious and easy!! My daughter said yummy!!
Hi Jill!
Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to let me know how much you and your daughter loved this recipe. That truly made my day! I hope you have a blessed week.
Actually analyzing olive gardens eggplant parm last time I had it they don’t peel the skin off the eggplant and the only visiable herb that was used looked like fresh cilantro.
Hello Brian,
You are correct, they do not peel the skin off of their eggplants, however, I find that leaving the skin on creates a tough texture. I believe they deep fry their eggplant, so I’m sure that helps to soften the skin. Since this recipe is a baked version, I find it’s best to remove the skin. They do sprinkle the eggplant with fresh parsley. 🙂 I hope you have a wonderful day and do stop by again!
-Amy
I did a search for this recipe. Out of all the versions I read, this recipe was easy to read and i understood it. That’s how I know this is the right version for me. Lol I plan on making this tonight.
Thanks for keeping it simple. 🙂
Hi Cindy!
I am so glad to hear that you found this recipe easy to follow and helpful! We love simple and easy in my kitchen. 🙂 Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by! I hope to see you around here again soon. 🙂
UPDATE: I made this recipe the day I commented on your post. My roommate loved it and said it was my best effort yet. So, now I have to make this once every two weeks! Lol
When I get off work, I’m getting everything I need to make it again, for dinner.
Hi Cindy,
That really makes me so happy to hear! I’m so glad you all are enjoying the recipe!