Eggplant Parmesan

This recipe for Eggplant Parmesan uses the high heat of the oven for crispy breaded eggplant without the mess of a deep fryer. Add my 10-minute quick tomato sauce or your favorite jarred sauce and lots of mozzarella for a delicious homemade Italian dinner.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

salting time 40

Total Time 1 35

Servings servings

Calories 437kcal

Author Meggan Hill

Ingredients

For the eggplant:

2 large eggplants 2 pounds, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds (see note 1)
1 tablespoon Salt

For the sauce (see note 2):

3 tbsp olive
3 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes undrained
1 teaspoon granulated sugar optional (see note 3)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Eggplant Parmesan:

1 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large eggs
4 cups bread crumbs or panko (see note 4)
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese grated (3 ounces)
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese shredded (8 ounces)
10 fresh basil leaves for garnish, optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To salt the eggplant:

Toss the eggplant with 1 tablespoon salt and let it drain in a colander for about 40 minutes.

To make the sauce (see note 2):

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, heat oil until shimmering. Add garlic cloves and sauté until browned, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove garlic and discard.
Stir in crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, sugar (if using), basil, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until flavors have blended, about 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until flavors have blended, about 10 minutes. Keep warm over low-heat until serving time, or cool completely and store covered in the refrigerator.

To make the Eggplant Parmesan:

Adjust two oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions, and place a rimmed baking sheet on each rack. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spread drained eggplant over paper towels. Wipe away as much salt as possible and press firmly on each slice to remove as much liquid as possible.
In a large zipper-top plastic bag, add flour. In a second shallow dish, add eggs and beat lightly. In a third shallow dish, combine breadcrumbs, 1 cup Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste (I like 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper).
Working with about 8 eggplant slices at a time, add them to the bag with the flour. Seal and shake until thoroughly coated. Remove from bag, shake off any excess flour, and dip into eggs.
Remove from eggs, allowing any excess to drop off, and dredge evenly in the breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere. Lay the breaded eggplant on a wire rack and repeat with remaining eggplant rounds.
Remove preheated baking sheets from the oven. Pour 3 tablespoons of oil onto each sheet, tilting to coat the sheets evenly. Spread breaded eggplant in a single layer over the preheated, oiled sheets.
Bake until the eggplant is well browned and crisp on the first side, about 20 minutes. Flip the eggplant slices over. Switch and rotate the baking sheets, and continue to bake until the second side is browned, about 10 minutes longer.
In the bottom of a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish, spread 1 cup tomato sauce. Shingle half of the eggplant slices over the tomato sauce. Distribute 1 more cup of the sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with half of the mozzarella.
Shingle the remaining eggplant in the dish and dot with another cup of the sauce, leaving the majority of the eggplant exposed so that it will remain crisp. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese and the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella.
Place the dish on the lower-middle rack of the oven. Bake until cheese is bubbling and well browned, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the basil over the top and cool for 10 minutes before serving. Pass the remaining 1 cup tomato sauce and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese separately.

Video

Notes

Eggplant: Salting eggplant removes excess liquid and some of the bitterness. Today’s eggplants are bred for mildness, thought, so it's not as important as it used to be. Peeling the eggplant is optional and up to you, too.
Sauce: Make my 10-minute quick tomato sauce (recipe below) or sub your favorite brand of store-bought sauce. For this recipe, buy a 32-ounce jar.
Sugar: Even a teaspoon is too much for some people. If you don’t like the sound of sugar in your meat sauce, please leave it out. In my family, people add ¼ cup.
Bread crumbs: Homemade bread crumbs are delicious, but store-bought are fine too (especially panko).
Yield: This recipe makes 8 generous servings.
Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Make ahead: The tomato sauce can be made several days ahead of time, but the Eggplant Parmesan is best enjoyed the day you make it (unless you freeze it).
Freezer: Freeze the dish before the final baking stage. To freeze, assemble the casserole but do not bake; wrap tightly with aluminum foil and freeze, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed.

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