Baked Baby Eggplant Parmigiana is a vegetarian stuffed eggplant appetizer or side dish that's incredibly easy to make. These small, round eggplants are unbreaded and filled with ricotta and parmesan. Topped with marinara sauce and garnished with basil leaves, these little eggplants make a fantastic hot appetizer.
These mini eggplant parmesan bites are a twist on the classic recipe. The single-serving delights have all the savory goodness of traditional eggplant parmesan in convenient, bite-sized portions.
Each mini stuffed eggplant is carefully made with layers of tender eggplant, tomato sauce, and melty cheese. Perfect for a quick and satisfying meal or entertaining guests, these mini eggplant parmesan bites promise to impress.
This dish is breadless, making it gluten-free and low-carb.
This recipe was inspired by my Roasted Baby Eggplant Poppers, French Ratatouille, and Roasted Fairytale Eggplant, all made with tiny little eggplants.
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Where to Get Baby Eggplants
Baby Eggplant Parmigiana begins with small eggplants.
If your grocery store doesn't have them, consider checking your local specialty shop; I found these at the Redland Market Village, a sprawling produce bazaar in the northern part of Homestead, Florida.
Stores specializing in Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, or Mediterranean ingredients often carry baby eggplants.
Another consideration is to grow your own. Visit Johnny Seeds, an online seed distributor, offering seeds for all varieties of baby eggplants.
Johnny Seeds has seedlings for Patio Baby eggplants, which are little eggplants perfect for patio gardens, balcony pots, and gardens.
For a more exotic baby eggplant, you can try the Paloma eggplant, a white baby eggplant variety with distinctive vertical ribbing.
Fairytale eggplants are small, slender eggplants with purple and white-striped skin. They are sweet with very few seeds.
How to Select Baby Eggplant
When buying baby eggplants, look for ones that are firm, shiny, and without blemishes. They should feel heavy for their size and have vibrant green stems.
What You Need
- Baby eggplants
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and black pepper
- Parsley
- Ricotta
- Mozzarella
- Parmesan or Romano (Locatelli) cheese
- Marinara Sauce
- Fresh basil for garnish
How to Make Baby Eggplant Parmesan
Carefully wash the small eggplants, making sure to either cut the stems off or clean them under the stem to remove any trapped dust.
As you cut the eggplants in half, they will start to discolor. Don't worry about it!
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400°F. Prepare a baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper.
- Slice each little eggplant in half. Scoop out the seeds with a small spoon or melon baller.
- Brush each eggplant half lightly all over with olive oil.
- Place all eggplants cut side down in the pan.
- Roast for 10 minutes or until tender.
- In a medium bowl, mix ricotta with chopped parsley and parmesan cheese.
- Stuff each eggplant half with the cheese mixture.
- Top each eggplant half with a tablespoon of shredded mozzarella.
- Place back in the oven for 4 or 5 minutes until cheese is hot and melted.
- When cool enough to handle, plate the eggplant.
- Serve with marinara sauce and garnish with fresh basil leaves.
Hint: When they come out of the oven, they are extremely hot and soft. Let the pieces cool for 5 minutes so the filling tightens a bit and they become more manageable.
This eggplant parm is gluten-free, grain-free, and vegetarian.
Variations
There is another variety of tiny eggplants called Fairy Tale Eggplants. They are about 3 inches long and have purple and white stripes. They could be used in place of the round baby eggplants.
SPICE For a little extra spice, you can top each eggplant half with red pepper flakes or a little hot sauce.
CHEESE I made this recipe with Locatelli Cheese, an Italian grass-fed Romano cheese made with sheep's milk. You can use your favorite grated Parmesan cheese in its place.
MEAT: You can stuff the eggplants with a little sauteed ground beef or Italian sausage. Combine the cooked meat with the ricotta cheese and stuff the eggplants.
For tomato sauce, I use Carbone Marinara Sauce. You can pick it up at Publix in Florida and most large grocery chains.
How to Store and Reheat Baby Eggplant Parmesan
Store the eggplant in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Freezing is not recommended.
Reheat in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 10 minutes. Or microwave for 3 minutes until heated through.
Key Takeaway
Baby Eggplant Parmesan is a healthier take on the classic dish. Instead of frying eggplant slices, I use tiny round eggplants, baking them in the oven for a lighter twist.
Finding small eggplants, which are similar in size to eggs, can sometimes be a challenge. You can try gourmet stores, Indian, or Chinese markets for these gems. Alternatively, consider growing Patio Eggplants in your backyard for a fun and rewarding experience.
To prepare, start by oven-roasting small, hollowed-out mini eggplants and generously stuffing them with cheese. Then, bake until the cheese is melted and gooey, resulting in a deliciously satisfying dish.
For more easy roasted vegetable ideas, check out my complete post on How To Roast All Kinds of Vegetables.
Serving Recommendations
These little bites would be great with a bowl of spaghetti or penne. You can arrange the eggplants over the pasta and top with additional marinara and freshly grated parmesan cheese.
These little eggplants are the size of large eggs. They make great party appetizers. Just make sure they cool a bit out of the oven. Plate the eggplants on an attractive platter. You can scatter basil leaves and shaved parmesan cheese around each piece and serve with a bowl of warm marinara.
In our house, Mikey ate the last batch right out of the oven. He loved them!
Try these popular fish recipes as a main dish with your eggplant parm.
- Pan Fried Snapper with Panko Breadcrumbs
- Pan Fried Yellowtail Snapper
- Lemon Basil Roasted Chicken
- Crispy Pan Fried Mahi Mahi Recipe
- Oven Roasted Mahi Mahi
- Roasted Whole Red Snapper
FAQ
Mini eggplants are typically around 2 to 4 inches long, smaller than regular ones.
Yes, baby eggplants are not only good to eat, but they also have a tender texture and a mild, slightly sweet flavor. They can be used in various dishes, such as stir-fries, curries, grilling, roasting, and stuffing.
Yes, but this recipe uses baby eggplant. Baby eggplant is more tender than full-size eggplant and they're never bitter.
"📖 Recipe"
Baby Eggplant Parmigiana
Ingredients
- 1 pound baby eggplants, 8-12 pieces halved
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
- 1 cup ricotta
- 1 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup parmesan or Locatelli cheese
- cup marinara sauce
- fresh basil leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400°F. Prepare a baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper.
- Slice each little eggplant in half. Scoop out the seeds with a small spoon or melon baller. Brush each eggplant lightly all over with olive oil. Place all eggplants with the cut side down on the pan. Roast for 10 minutes or until tender.
- In a medium bowl, mix ricotta with chopped parsley and parmesan cheese. Season with a little salt and pepper. Stuff each roasted eggplant half with the cheese mixture.
- Top each eggplant half with a tablespoon of shredded mozzarella. Place the pan back in the oven for 5 minutes until the cheese is hot and melted.
- Let cool on baking sheet until cool enough to handle. Serve with warm marinara sauce and garnish with basil leaves.
Kay Porter
Love this with the baby lamb chops recipe. A++