Eggplant Parmesan is a traditional Italian dish that alternates layers of fried eggplants, velvety tomato sauce and melting mozzarella cheese. Sicily and Emilia Romagna are contending the origin of this recipe. Well… we are not going to solve here this dilemma, but we will learn how to make the most authentic eggplant parmesan recipe that you can enjoy with your loved ones.
Why you’ll love the Eggplant Parmesan
– It is one of the most traditional Italian dishes.
– Eggplant Parm is a vegetarian and gluten-free dish that can be served as a main or appetizers. Everyone will love it and ask for more!
– Eggplant Parmigiana is incredibly satisfying, given the combination of meaty eggplants with tasty tomato sauce and gooey mozzarella cheese.
Traditional Eggplant Parmigiana ingredients
Traditional Eggplant Parmigiana is a mix of Mediterranean ingredients combined together to give life to a hearty meal. Let’s learn about them before heading to the grocery store!
Eggplants:
Eggplants are the main ingredient and the best time to enjoy eggplants is the summer, from June to August-September, when they are ripe. Pick eggplants that are of medium size and that are firm to the touch.
Tomatoes:
For this recipe you will need tomato sauce. You have two options:
1. You can make your own tomato sauce: you will need to cook the tomatoes until they form a sauce. You can refer to my Authentic Italian Homemade Tomato Sauce. The tomato sauce, helps balance the bounty of the fried eggplants, and the mozzarella cheese. Always add a teaspoon of sugar to lighten up its acidity.
2. You can buy a ready-made sauce, which will save you time. My favorite brand is Mutti. I recommend this brand as its sauce is of superior quality in terms of taste and consistency. For this recipe, I used one and a half can of Mutti tomato sauce.
Mozzarella & Parmesan
Mozzarella is probably one of the most popular Italian cheeses not only in Italy but in the world. It is widely used in many recipes as well as eaten on its own. There are several varieties and a full post will not be enough to cover the subject. For this recipe, I usually use cow’s milk mozzarella in cubes. In general, I recommend using cow’s mozzarella have it is milder than buffala mozzarella.
You will need some grated Parmesan cheese, to scatter on top of the mozzarella and then on the last layer to help to form that crusty, melting top.
Basil
And let’s not forget the basil. The basil will add a touch of freshness not only to the tomato sauce but as well to the main dish.
How to prepare eggplants for Eggplant Parmesan
The first and foremost important part of making the best eggplant parmesan is to prepare the eggplants. There are 3 critical steps to follow before baking your eggplant parm: cutting and removing the water from the eggplants, cooking them, and letting the eggplant rest.
Let’s proceed by order:
1. Cutting and removing the water:
Start by cutting the eggplants in vertical slices. This will allow you to obtain slices with equal pulp, and a bit of seed. If you cut them in circles, some slices might be too seedy. Proceed by removing the skin, this is my tip for you, as in fact, the skin can sometimes give a bitter taste to the eggplants. Place the slices in a colander, alternating them with rock salt. Leave them for 30 minutes to allow the salt to flush out the water from the eggplants. Remove the rock salt and pat them dry.
2. Cooking the eggplants:
The traditional Italian recipe for Eggplant Parmesan requires to fry the eggplants with no breading in extra virgin olive oil. However, I will also share with you a healthy eggplant parmesan option.
I must confess that I wasn’t fond of frying the eggplants directly in extra virgin olive oil. I used to coat the eggplant slices in flour, as it helps to reduce the absorption of fat. On the other side, it creates a viscous layer when it meets the tomato sauce, which will not be pleasant on your palate. I did several trials to decide what is best and then in Sicily I learnt that Traditional Eggplant parmesan means to fry the eggplant with no breading! As a reminder, the extra virgin olive oil, unlike any other vegetable oils, reaches a high temperature very fast. You will need to quickly fry your eggplants, just until golden brown, being very careful not to burn them.
3. Resting the eggplant:
Now that you have fried your eggplants, you need to let them rest on paper towels. I make layers of eggplants and paper towels, and I change the paper at least 3 times. After this process, I let the slices to rest a few hours. This procedure will allow the eggplant to be less oily and without any risk of being soggy, which means you are on the way to make a perfect Traditional Eggplant Parmesan!
How to make Traditional Italian Eggplant Parmesan
You will need a tomato sauce to prepare this recipe. You can follow the instructions in my Authentic Italian Homemade Tomato Sauce or you can use a ready-made tomato sauce, which you will flavor with garlic and basil, decreasing your time by roughly one hour. I used 1 and a half can of ready tomato sauce to make this recipe.
Now, you have your fried eggplant, your tomato sauce, the mozzarella, the parmesan, and the basil and the magic is about to start! Take a baking casserole of 9″x 7″ inches and place a bit of tomato sauce.
Continue by adding a layer of eggplants, then add more sauce.
At this point, sprinkle the mozzarella, and finally add the parmesan and some basil. Start all over again alternating the eggplants, then the sauce, mozzarella, the parmesan, and basil until you finish the ingredients.
On the last layer, put mozzarella and more parmesan and bake it until the cheese has melted and is golden on top.
It is always better to make Traditional Eggplant Parmesan ahead. This dish is best when enjoyed the day after you bake it so that all the flavors will combine together, amplifying the taste. You will simply need to warm it in the oven at 395 °F (200 ° C) for 30 minutes.
Eggplant Parmesan variations and substitutions
Eggplant Parmesan is excellent for vegetarians and gluten-free diets. If you want to make this dish vegan, add vegan cheese instead of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
In case you want to make an healthier version of eggplant parmesan, you can choose to bake the eggplants. For perfect baked eggplant parmesan, you will stiil need to remove the water from the eggplants, if you do not want your final dish to be soggy. You can then brush your slices on both sides with EVOO, to avoid the eggplant to dry. Bake them at 395 °F (200 ° C) for around 30 to 40 minutes, turning them after the first 15-20 minutes. You can continue to assemble all the ingredients and then you bake it as in the recipe below.
Looking for other eggplant recipes? Check out the Pasta alla Norma recipe.
Eggplant Parmesan serving suggestions
Usually in Italy, we eat it as a main dish, along with some fresh salads. Eggplant Parmesan is ideal served as an appetizer, in this case, you will need to halve the serving. It can be a great casserole to serve during a summer gathering as a part of a table appetizers spread.
How to store Eggplant Parmesan
If there are any leftovers of this tasty Eggplant Parmesan Casserole, you can freeze it for 6 weeks in a glass container. You will need to thaw it completely at room temperature, and then you can warm it up in the oven for 30 minutes at 395 °F (200 ° C).
Which wine to pair with Eggplant Parmesan
Eggplant Parmesan with its creamy taste and meaty layers of eggplant calls for white wine. A light, fruity, and dry wine would be the best options. A Sauvignon Blanc from Friuli will pair well with the fried eggplant and the creamy cheese.
If you prefer red, you are in a lucky place with this recipe, because it will complement well to the consistency of Eggplant Parmigiana. Consider a Barbera from Piemonte, in fact, a dry and medium-body wine will perfectly match the dish with its dried herbs’ notes.
Ingredients
For the Tomato Sauce
- 1.5 can tomato sauce Mutti (see notes)
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 sprig basil
- 2 cloves garlic whole
- 1 tsp sugar (see notes)
For the eggplant
- 1 lb eggplant sliced vertically
- 1/2 cup olive oil extra virgin ( see notes)
- 2 tbsp rock salt
For the cheese
- 1 ½ cup mozzarella cut in small cubes
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tbsp basil
Instructions
- Start by cutting the eggplant in slices of 1/4 inch thickness.
- Place them in a colander and cover each slice with rock salt. Let them drain for 30 minutes.
- Remove the rock salt and pat the eggplants dry.
- In the meantime, put some olive oil and the garlic in a pot, add 1.5 can of canned tomatoes and the basil. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar to remove the acidity. Let it simmer for 15 minutes (see notes).
- Heat some EVOO oil in a frying pan and fry the eggplants until golden brown. Let them rest over some paper towels, changing it a few times to absorb more oil (see notes). Sprinkle them with a bit of fine sea salt. (see notes)
- Assemble the ingredients in a baking dish (9"x 7" inches) and start putting a bit of tomato sauce as a base. Make a layer the eggplants, then add the tomato sauce, the mozzarella. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and the basil. Continue until you finish the ingredients.
- Bake it at 375 F° (190° C) for around 45 minutes. Let it set overnight in the refrigerator.
- The day after, reheat the Eppgplant Parm in the oven for 35 minutes at 395° F ( 200 °C) and enjoy it!
Notes
- In case you want to make your own sauce, use Roma or Plum variety as they have pulpy meat, resulting in a sauce that is compact and not watery.
- If you use a ready-made sauce, make sure to buy a high quality one ( I suggest MUTTI) and add a bit of sugar, as it will balance the acidity that tomatoes naturally have.
- Make sure you drain off the oil from the fried eggplants, letting them rest several hours is best to ensure your eggplants are less oily.
- The Eggplant Parmesan is best served the day after you baked it, so that all the flavors are melting together.
- You can freeze it up to 6 weeks. To enjoy it, thaw it at room temperature and warm it in the oven at 395 F° (200° C) for 20 minutes.
Nutrition
Recipe card powered by WP Recipe Maker.
This was very good, but I will say some of the steps were not totally clear. For example, the 1.5 tomato sauce. After reading the notes, I was still unclear if this was supposed to be tomatoes or tomato sauce and if it was 1.5 cans or cups? I cook a lot so I just used my best judgment. Also, the “casserole pot” didn’t say how big the casserole dish should be. I think these are just differences in translation that I didn’t catch until I was in the middle of making it. Also, I wasn’t sure if you were supposed to rinse the rock salt off the eggplant slices. My family did enjoy it and I will make it again.
Dear Jawanda, I am very happy you made this recipe and your family enjoyed it. I am very appreciative of your comments and I have already clarified a few things in the post. To answer your questions: you should use canned tomato sauce and you will need 1.5 can. The casserole should be 9″x7″ inches. And yes, you will need to remove all the rock salt and pat the eggplants dry. I hope you will make it again and that you will enjoy and continue reading my blog. Thank you to have taken the time to comment. Have a lovely Sunday, Laura