Crispy Eggplant Recipe

Crispy Baked Eggplant Cutlets, crunchy on the outside and tender and moist on the inside. A delicious vegetarian main dish or side dish!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Keyword baked eggplant cutlets

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Servings -4 servings

Calories 589kcal

Bring about 2 inches of water to a boil in a large deep skillet and salt lightly.
Slice a large globe eggplant (mine was about 500 grams) crosswise into approximate 1 cm thick rounds. If you are using smaller sized eggplants, you may choose to slice them lengthwise instead.
Boil the eggplant slices a few at a time, without overcrowding the pan, for 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the eggplant to a dish towel covered tray to absorb the excess water. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
Prepare 3 bowls with the ingredients for the breading. In the first bowl add flour and a pinch of salt; in the second an egg beaten with 1 tbsp of water and a pinch of salt; and in the 3rd bowl the breading ingredients: dry unseasoned breadcrumbs, grated Parmigiano cheese, fresh chopped parsley, a small clove of garlic (finely minced), dry oregano, salt and pepper.
Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with parchment paper and generously grease it with olive oil. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Dredge both sides of each slice of eggplant first in the flour, next in the egg wash (allowing the excess to drip off) and finally in the breadcrumb mixture. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining eggplant.
Drizzle the tops with a little extra olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until crisp and golden. Serve hot.

You do not need to peel the eggplant for this recipe. In fact, the peel helps hold the eggplant together otherwise the slices will tear and fall apart when cooking.
Do not slice the eggplant slices too thin or they may fall apart when boiling. Remember, these are eggplant cutlets not chips!
Do not skip drizzling the breaded eggplant slices with oil before baking to ensure that they turn out crisp.
Enjoy these eggplant cutlets as a main vegetarian dish; a side dish; in sandwiches; topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella and broiled or layered in your favorite eggplant parmigiana recipe.
Leftovers keep well refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven before serving.
This recipe serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish.