90 minutes
A delicious and satisfying baked eggplant dish with crispy breading, tomato sauce, and melted cheese.
Eggplant, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
0 lb
to taste
to taste
Hearty White Sandwich Bread, torn into quarters
each
Parmesan Cheese, grated
0 oz
cups
Large Eggs, beaten
each
tablespoons
0 oz
tablespoons
Garlic Clove, minced
each
teaspoons
Fresh Basil, chopped
cups
Fresh Basil Leaves, roughly torn
each
Whole Milk Mozzarella, shredded
cups
1. Salt the Eggplant
Start by generously salting the eggplant slices and placing them in a colander to drain for 30 to 45 minutes. This step helps to remove bitterness and excess moisture, ensuring your eggplant turns out tender and flavorful. Once the time is up, pat the slices dry with paper towels to remove any remaining liquid.
2. Preheat Oven
While the eggplant is draining, preheat your oven to 425°F and place two rimmed baking sheets inside to heat up. This will help your eggplant slices bake evenly and become crispy.
3. Prepare Bread Crumbs
Next, prepare the bread crumbs by pulsing the torn bread in a food processor until they form fine crumbs. Mix these crumbs with 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, 0.25 teaspoon of salt, and 0.5 teaspoon of pepper in a shallow dish.
4. Set Up Breading Station
Set up your breading station with three shallow dishes: one with 1 cup of flour seasoned with 1 teaspoon of pepper, another with the beaten eggs, and the last with the bread crumb mixture. Coat each eggplant slice first in the flour, then in the eggs, and finally in the bread crumbs, pressing gently to adhere.
5. Bake Eggplant Slices
Remove the preheated baking sheets from the oven and drizzle each with 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Arrange the breaded eggplant slices in a single layer on the baking sheets. Bake the eggplant for about 30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until they are golden brown and crispy.
6. Prepare Tomato Sauce
While the eggplant is baking, prepare the tomato sauce. In a food processor, pulse the canned diced tomatoes until slightly chunky. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the minced garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Assemble the Dish
Once the eggplant slices are baked and the sauce is ready, it's time to assemble the dish. Spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Arrange a layer of eggplant slices over the sauce, then sprinkle with half of the shredded mozzarella and a bit of Parmesan. Repeat these layers, finishing with a final layer of sauce and a generous sprinkle of the remaining Parmesan.
8. Bake Assembled Dish
Bake the assembled dish in the oven for 13 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Allow the dish to cool for about 10 minutes, which helps the flavors meld together beautifully. Just before serving, garnish with the torn basil leaves for a fresh burst of flavor.
The tomato sauce used in Eggplant Parmigiana is a core recipe in itself. Once you have this down, you can use it for a variety of pasta dishes, as a pizza sauce, or in a shakshuka. You can also add capers, olives, and anchovies to make a Puttanesca sauce, or red pepper flakes for an Arrabbiata.
Replace the eggplant with breaded and baked chicken cutlets. Layer with tomato sauce and cheese, and bake.
The process of breading and baking eggplant slices until they're crispy is a fundamental technique that can be applied to other vegetables or proteins. For instance, you could use zucchini, chicken breasts, or fish fillets. You simply need to adjust cooking times based on the ingredient you're using.
A Greek dish that layers sliced eggplant and/or potatoes with a spiced meat sauce and creamy béchamel.
Instead of traditional breadcrumbs, try using panko for an even crispier texture, or mix in some finely grated Parmesan cheese with the breadcrumbs. For a nuttier flavor, you can also add finely chopped almonds or hazelnuts to the breading.
flour, then beaten eggs, and finally the breadcrumb mixture, ensuring each slice is thoroughly coated at each step.
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