Okay, at first glance, Eggplant Parmesan Chickpeas might not sound like the *most* appealing thing. And I get it, it’s a riff on a classic that doesn’t make sense until you make it. But believe me, you should make it! It’s like a healthier, protein-filled, deconstructed eggplant parmesan. And (thankfully!) it’s half the work. Because whenever I deconstruct something, it’s to save you time and energy of course!
Now, the idea of Eggplant Parmesan Chickpeas came from a big, big craving for eggplant parm, BUT I wanted something that I could call a full meal. Using inspo from my recent (and unexpectedly viral?) recipe for breaded halibut, I decided to take the idea of eggplant parm, and turn it into a simple one-pan meal that uses chickpeas for an extra punch of protein. Think of it like a cooked-down, eat-it-from-the-bowl eggplant parmesan, and I promise you’ll fall in love.
Table of contents
First, let’s talk a bit about eggplant parmesan
And why is it called eggplant parmesan when it’s primarily made with mozzarella??
These are the questions that keep me up at night.
But eggplant parmesan, or as the Italians say, “eggplant parmigiana,” has a debated historic past. It’s generally agreed upon that it began in Southern Italy, and quickly became popularized across the globe.
Eggplant parmesan actually never had parmesan, because in the 15th and 16th centuries, cooking “Parmigiana style” was just synonymous with layering vegetables together in a dish. See? Answers seeked, answers found.
So while eggplant parmesan (the American term) does not have parmesan all the time, it absolutely can. The dish is composed of breaded, fried, sliced eggplant layered with cheese and tomato sauce, then baked.
Here, I skip the baking step, but keep the layering step. It’s an homage, after all!
Ingredients you will need for these eggplant parmesan chickpeas
Now, since we are skipping the breading and frying part, we need to add flavor to this eggplant in different ways. Here are all the ingredients you will need for this flavor-packed recipe:
- 1 large eggplant, 14 ounces
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes, 32 ounces
- 1/2 yellow onion, 6 ounces
- 3 garlic cloves
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup brioche bread crumbs, 2 ounces
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped Calabrian chilies
- 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, 1 ounce
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
How this eggplant parmesan chickpea stew happens all in one pan
The best part about this recipe is instead of juggling a pan, a shallow frying technique and a baking dish, we’re just prepping everything in one pan.
The eggplant parmesan chickpeas start by toasting the bread crumbs in the pan. They will be the topping eventually, so you toast them, then put them in a bowl to the side so they stay crunchy.
Next the eggplant go in to cook. This takes the longest, but it’s absolutely worth it to get them to that perfect texture.
After the eggplant is seared and removed, the tomatoes and aromatics cook down, and then you add the chickpeas and basil to let everything simmer together. Mozzarella goes on top, and you cover with a lid so the cheese gets all melty and perfect.
Top with the bread crumbs, and serve from the pan!
What is the best way to store these eggplant parmesan chickpeas?
I love to store this in the fridge in Tupperware (or any air-tight container!). It will keep for up to five days so it is great for meal prep.
To reheat, you can either heat it on the stove top over medium heat, or microwave on medium power for 2-3 minutes. That will get the cheese back to melty perfection.
Unfortunately this recipe doesn’t freeze well. Something about the mozzarella doesn’t agree with it.
Looking for other eggplant dishes?
It’s the season to go crazy! Here are a few of my favorites:
And that’s it for these Eggplant Parmesan Chickpeas!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you!
Eggplant Parmesan Chickpeas
Equipment
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 high-sided sauté pan with a fitted lid
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant 14 ounces
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes 32 ounces
- 1/2 yellow onion 6 ounces
- 3 garlic cloves
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup brioche bread crumbs 2 ounces
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped Calabrian chilies
- 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves 1 ounce
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella sliced
Instructions
- Begin with your mise en place. Halve the eggplant lengthwise, then cut it into crescent slices. Set aside. Quarter the cherry tomatoes, thinly slice 1/2 of an onion and thinly slice 3 garlic cloves. Set these all aside.
- Set a large, high-sided sauté pan with a fitted lid over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and let it heat up for a few minutes.
- Add 1 cup of breadcrumbs to the olive oil. Then add a teaspoon of fennel seeds, a teaspoon of dried basil, half a teaspoon of dried oregano and half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Season with salt and stir so that the bread crumbs toast in the oil. Toast for 2-4 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are a deep brown.
- Transfer the bread crumbs into a small bowl, no need to wipe out the pan, but just get as many of the bread crumbs out as possible.
- Place the pan back over medium heat and add another 1/4 cup of olive oil.
- In two batches, cook the eggplant. Add them to the pan so that no pieces overlap and cook until the pieces are golden on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side. The eggplant will absorb the oil like a sponge, so use 1/4 cup for the first batch, then add another 1/4 cup for the second batch. As you cook, season with a few pinches of salt.
- Remove the eggplant from the pan and set the pieces aside.
- Add the sliced onion to the pan, adding another drizzle of olive oil, if needed. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the onion has softened slightly. Then add the garlic, chopped Calabrian chilies, and tomatoes. Stir and season with salt.
- Cook the tomatoes until they begin to break down and turn jammy, about 9-12 minutes. Add the chickpeas and let the mixture continue to simmer another 3-4 minutes. Add the basil and mix. Taste and season to taste.
- Layer the cooked eggplant slices over the top of the simmer tomatoes. You should have enough to make a thick, even layer.
- Top the eggplant with the slices of mozzarella. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid for 6-7 minutes, or until all the mozzarella has melted.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Take off the lid and scatter all the breadcrumbs over top.
- Use a spoon to scoop directly into the pan and serve!
The recipe slash aubergine parmigiana I have been looking for! I roasted the aubergine in the oven (at the peril of a mild heatstroke even here in the UK…) while getting on with everything else. So much flavour in those breadcrumbs, love it!
So glad you liked it!
I love Justine’s recipes! With this one, I’d personally opt for less breadcrumb next time. I’d also probably add the breadcrumbs before the cheese to soften up then add a sprinkle on top for a bit of crispiness. I found the cup of toasted breadcrumbs on top to be a little too sandy and distracting. Overall, delicious recipe and not too labor intensive.
Delish! Faster then my go to eggplant parm, and I’m a sucker for anything with a bean chucked in! Definitely a keeper. Did add a dash of red wine vinegar to the tomatoes because I physically couldn’t hold back.
Omg we are so aligned with our love for red wine vinegar >>>>>> So glad you liked this!
You know it’s going to be good when you mise en place all the ingredients and everything is done by weight. I very much enjoyed eating and making this! Next time I’ll only use 1 tbsp of chopped Calabrian chilies thought. 2 tbsp was too spicy for me.
A good note, I love spicy, but I will make sure to add a note in future recipes!
So dang delicious!
The crispy seasoned breadcrumbs really made it sing but every part of it was so flavorful!
Will definitely make this again!
So SO glad you liked it!
I was skeptical… but damn! So good. I had lots of random bread ends from whole wheat sourdough to rye… tore them up and dried out in the oven then did the sauté in oil bit. They were somewhere between pencil eraser and dime sized and that was so nice… and I had more of a massive heaped cup bc hello, herby toasted breadcrumbs! Not a fan of cherry tomatoes, used 3 medium beefsteak tomatoes with skin removed via hot water bath… so nice. No Calabrian chili and we didn’t miss it at all, the breadcrumbs had a good amount of spice with the red chili flakes so it still popped… I did add about 1/2 TBL of additional oregano and a few big twirls of cracked black pepper to shoozsh it up. But it was the kind of dish were I kept going back to the pan longggg after dinner to steal another nibble. Overall this was a 10/10, despite lots of steps/time consuming still less work than traditional E.parm. And for real… that melty mozzarella slaps! ty J!
Omg THIS IS THE HIGHEST COMPLIMENT! I’m so glad you liked it, and thank you for taking the time to leave such a nice review!!
I had this for lunch at work and it was excellent! Packed the breadcrumbs in a separate container so they wouldn’t get soggy. This is such a delicious combination of flavors and textures.
Absolutely LOVE! Such a clever combination of flavors. Have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go, and the recipe comes together quickly (and we love a one pan wonder). It was REALLY spicy for us with 2 tablespoons of the Calabrian peppers, so when we make again (which will be sooooon because YUM) we’ll opt for just 1 tablespoon. We also didn’t use but maybe 1/2 cup or less of breadcrumbs and it was the perfect amount! Lastly, don’t skimp on the oil when frying the eggplant as they really do absorb it!
Oh my gosh this sparked so much joy. Just perfect. I’m a sucker for anything with tomatoes but this was next level. Love. Thanks for sharing!
Made this for dinner with what I had in the fridge. Subbed with red onion, didn’t have cherry tomatoes so did Roma + can of tomatoes. Added a teaspoon of sugar to cut the acid! I love garlic, so I put a clove of garlic in the oil while cooking the eggplant for extra flavor! Loved and will cook again.