Go Back

Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan

Crazy delicious (& healthy!!) Eggplant Parmesan
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients
  

  • 2 small eggplants, sliced thin not peeled!
  • 2/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs, divided
  • cooking spray
  • 4-5 cups tomato sauce
  • 4-5 cups shredded mozzarella
  • 1-2 cups shredded parmesan

Method
 

  1. Spray the mesh baskets of the air fryer with cooking spray.  Set aside. 
  2. Slice the eggplants into thin circles, not more than 1/8 inch thick.  Add them to a zip lock bag with some of the breadcrumbs.  Zip & gently toss to coat each piece.  Do this till all eggplants are coated with breadcrumbs evenly on all sides, adding more breadcrumbs to the bag as necessary. 
  3. Lay the circles evenly on the mesh baskets, then spray with cooking spray. Add the thickest cut pieces to the same basket & make sure it gets set closest to the air vent.  This will ensure even cooking. 
  4. Use the french fry setting & turn the time down to 12 minutes.  Transfer the cooked eggplant to a plate & repeat with remaining circles until all eggplant has been fried.  
  5. Preheat the oven to 375.  Spray a 9" x 13" casserole dish with cooking spray.  Add approximately 1.5 cups of tomato sauce to the bottom.  Lay one layer of eggplant evenly on the top of the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella & then a little parmesan.  
  6. Continue layering the ingredients (sauce, eggplant, cheese) till all eggplant has been used & make the cheese the last layer.  
  7. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown & bubbly all over.  Serve with caesar salad & fresh crust french bread.  

Notes

Shred your own cheese! Don't use pre-shredded cheeses in this dish. Freshly shredding your own cheese has many benefits:
a) there are no weird additives when you do it yourself (pre-shredded cheese has things added to make it not clump)
b) freshly shredded cheese tastes great (because it's FRESH!)
c) you will get a lot more cheese for your money when you shred your own block.