From the classic eggplant parmesan to the meatless Italian sandwich, here are the best Italian eggplant recipes you can make at home.
Italian cuisine can elevate eggplant to make them oh-so flavorful, satisfying, and easy enough for even novice home cooks to prepare.
Do you love using eggplant in making awesome-tasting recipes but are getting tired of how you usually prepare them?
- Parmigiana di melanzane: This classic dish is made with layers of eggplant, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. It is then baked until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Eggplant parmesan: This dish is similar to parmigiana di melanzane, but it is made with breaded and fried eggplant instead of grilled eggplant.
- Eggplant rollatini: This dish is made with thinly sliced eggplant that is filled with a mixture of ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and spinach. The eggplant is then rolled up and baked.
- Eggplant caponata: This is a Sicilian dish that is made with eggplant, tomatoes, onions, olives, capers, and vinegar. It is a delicious and refreshing side dish.
- Eggplant pizza: This is a fun and easy way to make pizza at home. Simply slice eggplant into rounds, top with your favorite pizza toppings, and bake until the eggplant is tender and the cheese is melted.
So keep reading for links to these Italian Eggplant Recipes and more!
Eggplant are quite versatile, available all year round, and fairly inexpensive, too.
Recipes are more often simple to prepare, require only a few ingredients, and don’t take long to put together.
Eggplant are ideal for preparing rich and satisfying dishes, ranging from main courses and side dishes to appetizers and dips.
Eggplant provide a special depth of flavors and textures, whether grilled, roasted, fried, baked, or stuffed.
Thanks to their unique flavor and versatility, you can create a dish packed with creamy and earthy flavor as well as a texture that’s truly a winner.
From the classic Eggplant Parmigiana or Eggplant Involtini to the lesser-known, but equally delicious Eggplant Caponata, a sweet and sour Sicilian eggplant relish, you will find some crave-worthy eggplant dishes here!
So, if you’re looking for tasty Italian eggplant recipes that are quick to prepare yet overflowing with flavor, unlock these dishes, make and share them with family and friends!
Best Italian Eggplant Recipes
This is a simple recipe that packs a flavorful punch.
For the marinade, I used garlic, oregano, chili, and mint.
These are all basic seasonings that you can find in any grocery, which give this eggplant its outstanding flavor.
You can keep it marinated for 6 hours or overnight to allow ample time for the eggplant to absorb all the flavors before cooking.
Ingredients included: Eggplant, oregano, wine vinegar, and mint.
Add some vegetables to your meal!
Replace your favorite meat dish with the Classic Eggplant Parmesan.
You can use homemade breadcrumbs for added texture.
Ingredients included: Eggplant, marinara, breadcrumbs, eggs, and flour.
Looking for something with a sweet and sour taste?
You’re in for a treat!
There are several variations of making Caponata, but this recipe is the easiest to follow.
Ingredients included: Eggplant, tomatoes, celery, and olive oil.
Like salsa?
Try Baby Eggplant With Italian Style Salsa.
Two ways to cook it, you can roast or grill them.
It tastes best when served warm.
Ingredients include: Baby eggplant, olive oil, shallot, parsley, and pine nuts.
If you are in a rush, prepare this quick and easy meal and head on for your busy day, my friend.
It’s loaded with flavor and takes only 20 mins to put together.
Enjoy as an appetizing side dish, and top it with your favorite parsley-infused oil.
Ingredients include: Eggplant, olive oil, garlic powder, parsley, and lemon.
Here’s one recipe that is both satisfying and light.
It’s stuffed with a soft, creamy ricotta mixture and finished in rich tomato sauce.
Ingredients include: Ricotta cheese, Breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, and lemon juice.
The delicious flavors of Stuffed Eggplant come from mint leaves, cheese, and tomato slices.
If you love savory dishes, this one’s for you!
Ingredients include: Eggplant, tomatoes, cheese, mint leaves, olives, and capers.
You can’t go wrong with this version of fried eggplant.
Combine Italian cheese with breadcrumbs and have Italian Fried Eggplant Slices!
It goes great with pasta.
Ingredients include: Romano cheese, flour, eggs, olive oil, and pepper.
Which pie do you prefer, sweet or savory?
If you prefer savory ones, try this Italian Eggplant Pie and make your savory pie experience unforgettable!
Ingredients include: Eggplant, savory pie dough, oregano, sun-dried tomatoes, and gruyere cheese.
The filling for Eggplant Involtini With Ricotta Spinach Filling is made of a delectable ricotta-spinach mixture that’s encased in roasted eggplant slices and cooked until bubbly.
This awesome-tasting recipe can be enjoyed no matter if it is for breakfast, as part of your work lunch, or even a romantic dinner for two.
You may want to try this Eggplant Pizza, too!
Ingredients include: Eggplant, olive oil, ricotta, and frozen spinach.
Eggplant Parmesan Bites with Marinara Dipping Sauce is a modernized version of an Italian classic that features bite-sized nuggets of eggplant.
It’s time to forget the forks in favor of your fingers with this easy and cheesy recipe.
Ingredients include: Eggplant, Italian-style breadcrumbs, Parmesan, eggs, and marinara.
If you’re avoiding meat, these Grilled Eggplant Steaks With Gremolata And Tomatoes are just for you!
This a simple and meatless dinner recipe that will keep you wanting more!
Ingredients include: Eggplant, olive oil, Gremolata, cherry or grape tomatoes.
This Baked Eggplant Parmesan’s secret to being exceptional is adding more bell peppers and onions, making this dish hearty and flavorful.
Ingredients include: Eggplant, olive oil, garlic, oregano, and mozzarella.
This Crispy Eggplant Caprese Stack is not only pretty to look at but also scrumptious!
The eggplant is breaded with panko breadcrumbs, pan-fried to crisp golden perfection, and then stacked high with classic Caprese salad ingredients.
Ingredients include: Eggplant, Kosher salt, Italian panko bread crumbs, flour, and eggs.
This Lasagna-Stuffed Eggplant is a mouthwatering dish that gets you excited to eat!
Learn how to make this exciting baked eggplant recipe.
Ingredients include: Eggplant, sausage, marinara, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella.
16. Eggplant Stack
If you have some leftover roasted eggplant slices tucked away in the fridge, putting this meal together is easy peasy.
It’s all about layering all the ingredients so that all the combined flavors mesh well.
Ingredients include: Fresh mozzarella, eggplant, basil pesto, and marinara sauce.
Stacks of melted cheese are sprinkled on top of packed, rolled-up, sliced eggplant filled with Italian cheese and spinach, then baked to perfection.
This is the best way to make Skinny Eggplant Rollatini.
Ingredients include: Eggplant, light mozzarella, parmesan, spinach, and marinara.
If you want a new casserole dish for your menu, why not try this recipe?
It comes with all of the classic flavors of Italy blended into the eggplant as they burst from your mouth.
If you want more sauce and cheese on this dish, feel free to add even more, especially if the kids enjoy it.
Ingredients include: Mozzarella cheese, chunky marinara sauce, provolone cheese, ground black pepper, and eggplant.
They say pickled eggplant is a delicacy in Italian-American homes.
Pro tip: After rinsing the salt away, squeeze out the water.
This step is crucial to prevent the jars from filling with water and to ensure the eggplant can absorb the olive oil.
Ingredients include: Cherry peppers, parsley, virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and eggplant.
After a bite of this wonderfully prepared dish, you’ll have an unforgettable experience.
What’s even better about this dish is that it can be prepared ahead of time.
Just reheat a batch before serving.
Ingredients include: Eggplant, olive oil, tomatoes, grated parmesan bread crumbs, and egg.
The non-fried eggplant in this recipe is covered in multiple sauces and cheese layers, making it as decadent as the original dish that uses fried eggplant.
If you don’t like spicy food, leave it out or cut back on the red pepper flakes.
Ingredients include: Eggplant, tomatoes, white balsamic, flour, and eggs.
If you’re going meatless, this one’s for you.
This recipe offers a twist to the classic Italian Veal sandwich and substitutes eggplant for veal.
Ingredients include: Kaiser buns, marinara sauce, eggplant, and mozzarella cheese.
One of the most popular eggplant meals ever is Italian Eggplant Parmigiana.
This ultimate comfort dish is baked with tomato sauce, basil, parmesan, mozzarella cheese, and fried aubergines.
That bubbling tomato sauce is such a tempting treat that you’d love to add more mozzarella cheese.
Spoil yourself every once in a while!
Ingredients include: Tomato passata, eggplant, Parmigiano-Reggiano, mozzarella, and basil leaves.
Did you know that eggplant could be such a cheesy treat?
This recipe gives us a tender and cheesy dish with a fresh and juicy sauce that is drizzled onto some delish grilled eggplant.
Cut, season and grill are all it takes to bring out all the flavor in this sumptuous dish.
Ingredients include: Eggplant, olive oil, parmesan, garlic powder, and oregano.
These “meatballs” are created using breadcrumbs, roasted eggplant, herbs and seasonings, and eggs.
So delicious and soft, these meatballs are a surprising treat for you and the family.
Ingredients include: Eggplant, egg, parmesan, Italian parsley, oregano, and bread crumbs.
The bottom line
If you’ve wanted to try some great Italian eggplant recipes for quite a while, take this roundup as your cue to gather the best quality eggplants and start cooking some Italian favorites.
Enjoy making these simple-to-prepare and easy eggplant recipes.
These are just a few of the many delicious Italian eggplant recipes that you can try.
So next time you’re at the grocery store, be sure to pick up some eggplant and get creative in the kitchen!
More About Eggplant
- How To Tell If An Eggplant Is Bad
- What To Serve With Eggplant Parmesan
- Eggplant Recipes
- What Does Eggplant Taste Like?
- How To Saute Eggplant
- Turkish Eggplant Recipes
25 Best Italian Eggplant Recipes
From the classic eggplant parmesan to the meatless Italian sandwich, here are the best Italian eggplant recipes to make at home.
Ingredients
- Italian Marinated Eggplant
- Classic Eggplant Parmesan
- Eggplant Caponata
- Baby Eggplant With Italian Style Salsa
- Sauteed Eggplant Recipe
- Eggplant Involtini
- Stuffed Eggplant Recipe
- Italian Fried Eggplant Slices
- Italian Eggplant Pie
- Eggplant Involtini With Ricotta Spinach Filling
- Eggplant Parmesan Bites With Marinara Dipping Sauce
- Grilled Eggplant Steaks With Gremolata And Tomato
- Baked Eggplant Parmesan
- Crispy Eggplant Caprese Stack
- Lasagna-Stuffed-Eggplant-Recipe
- Eggplant Stack
- Skinny Eggplant Rollatini
- Italian-Style Eggplant Casserole
- Italian Pickled Eggplant
- Eggplant With Walnut Stuffing
- Spicy Eggplant Parmesan With Ricotta
- Italian Eggplant Sandwich
- Eggplant Parmigiana (Parmigiana di Melanzane)
- Garlic Parmesan Grilled Eggplant
- Italian Eggplant Meatballs
Instructions
- Pick one or more options from our list of Italian Eggplant Recipes here!
- Start creating your new favorite Italian eggplant dish.
- Did you make any changes to make it even better?
- Share this list with your friends and see what they think!