Eggplant Parmesan
One of the dishes my Mom is famous for is Eggplant Parmesan. It’s one of the dishes I always request when I visit my parents and something my husband, an eggplant hater even loves. I remember when I was in 5th grade I brought my mom’s eggplant to our class Thanksgiving feast. I’ll never forget, my teacher (who’s name ironically was Mr. Parmegiani) and all the parents were raving about Eggplant. The eggplant is perfectly fried and it’s done in the oven which makes this much easier, quicker and safer than hovering over a stove for hours. The fried eggplant is so amazing on its own I sometimes barely have enough to make the parmesan because I eat so much of it while i’m cooking. Perfect layers of the crispy eggplant, melty cheese and fresh, zesty tomato sauce make this oh so comforting and the perfect dish to make for a crowd. It can even be assembled ahead of time, placed in the fridge and then baked right before you’re ready to enjoy. To cook this dish with my mom and I follow my Youtube video below!
Feeds about 8 people (reheats great for leftovers as well!)
Ingredients-
3 Medium/large eggplants (you don’t want them too huge and bulbous as those tend to be seedy)
Approx. 3-4 Cups of Seasoned Breadcrumbs (4C Brand ideally!)
Approx. 1/2 Cup Grated or Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Approx. 16 oz of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (Part Skim or Whole are both great) (you can also use fresh mozzarella, sometimes I use shredded in between the layers and then fresh on the top layer.
Canola or Vegetable Oil
Ground Black Pepper
1 Small Bunch of Fresh Basil
Approx 4 Cups of Tomato Sauce (homemade ideally but you can use your favorite jarred sauce. Check out my recipe for tomato sauce here.. just leave out the meatballs!) Your sauce should be room temp or warm when you assemble your Eggplant Parmesan.
Approx 4 Large Eggs
Steps-
Preheat your oven to 420F (if convection do 405F).
In a medium size bowl beat your eggs and add a dash of black pepper and about 1.5 tablespoons of parmesan cheese. In a separate bowl or on wax paper pour your Breadcrumbs. Set aside.
Cut the tops off your eggplants and then peel them to remove the tough skin. Slice them into 1/3 inch thick rounds.
Bread your eggplant by dipping them in the beaten egg and then the breadcrumbs to coat completely. When they are coated place them on a plate or tray until they are all breaded.
Once the eggplant is all breaded, coat cookie sheet trays with the canola or vegetable oil. You want the entire pan to have a layer of oil, you are essentially going to be pan frying the eggplant in the oven.
Place the breaded eggplant flat onto the oiled pans about 1/2 inch apart so they brown evenly. If you don’t have enough oven space to fit all the eggplant at once, do not put all the eggplant on oiled pans until they are about to go in the oven to avoid absorbing too much oil.
Place the sheet trays in the oven and bake about 15 minutes or until a nice dark golden brown color and crispy on the outside but soft and tender on the inside. Once they’re cooked remove them from the pans immediately with a spatula and lay them onto a wire rack lined with paper towels to absorb extra oil.
Once all the eggplant is cooked it’s time to assemble your Eggplant Parmesan!
Lower your oven temperature to 350F.
You will need a rectangular pan about 9x14 inches, preferably a pyrex glass dish. First step is to ladle a very thin layer of tomato sauce in to the bottom of your pyrex dish (probably only a cup or so, jus tot coat). then place one single layer of the fried eggplant on top of the sauce. Next sprinkle some black pepper and parmesan cheese over the top (probably only about 2 Tablespoons per layer). Next sprinkle a thin layer of the shredded mozzarella cheese. Next top with a thin layer of sauce and repeat the process- eggplant, pepper, parmesan, mozzarella, sauce again. Keep repeating until you have used up all your eggplant. Once you have your top layer of eggplant pour on a little more sauce over the top and a little sprinkle of parmesan. Next I like to break apart some fresh basil leaves with my hands and sprinkle them all over. Then, if you’d like to use fresh mozzarella just place thin slices of it all over the top or just do the shredded mozzarella again.
Cover your dish with foil and place the eggplant parmesan in the preheated oven. Bake roughly 30-35 minutes or until heated through and all the cheese is nice and melted.
Let cool for a few minutes and then cut and enjoy! My family likes to eat it on crusty Italian bread but its great on its own with a side salad, pasta or a vegetable of your choice!