Growing up with Italian heritage eggplant was always a staple. I’m sure we had it at least once a week as a side dish, appetizer, entree. Our kitchen was never short on this deep purple veggie. Although eggplant parmesan is considered a quintessential Italian American dish it was usually reserved for special occasions at our house and also a point of contention when we went out to eat. There truly is an art to making great eggplant parmesan and few restaurants or people do a truly great job. I’ve had too many soggy, greasy, overcooked and undercooked versions that I often avoid ordering it for fear of being disappointed. Great eggplant parmesan is deeply flavorful, but not overly salty, crispy and never greasy. Luckily this recipe achieves just that. This is an adapted recipe from Bon Appetit magazine, pairing my family’s traditions with their lasagna like technique for a truly spectacular eggplant parm. If you aren’t into the lasagna style feel free to stop half way right after frying and enjoy the individual slices topped with sauce and cheese. I always enjoy a few slices before assembly. I have to restrain myself or I’d devour the whole batch before it makes it to the oven! Pro-tip, if you want a more flavorful breading instead of generic finely grated parmesan purchase an equal amount of shaved or shredded parmesan and finely grate it yourself in the food processor. It gives it a stronger, more diverse parmesan flavor.
Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
- 4 Pounds Eggplant about 4 medium
- 3 Cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1½ Teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ Cups finely grated Parmesan
- 1½ Cups flour
- 5 Eggs beaten/scrambled
- 1⅓ Cups olive oil
- ½ Cup finely chopped fresh basil and parsley plus basil leaves for serving
- 6 Ounces grated mozzarella cheese
- 8 Ounces fresh mozzarella
- 48 Oz marinara sauce
Instructions
- Take out a rimmed baking sheet line with paper towels and set aside
- Slice your eggplants lengthwise ½ to ¼ inch thick, but leave the skin on, trimming off the outer edges and ends so only a strip of skin remains around the edge of each long slice
- Its important to salt your eggplant so that some of the moisture is pulled out. This allows it to get nice and crisp when fried and then creamy when baked in the oven. Lightly season the slices all over with salt and place in a single layer on the rimmed baking sheet. Top with another layer of paper towels and repeat until all of your eggplan has been sliced. Top with a final layer of paper towels, then place another rimmed baking sheet on top and weigh it down with a heavy pot
- Let eggplant sit for at least 45 minutes to an hour until it has released its excess liquid
- While the eggplant drains, chop your herbs and toss with the mozzarella, ¾ cup of the parmesan cheese in a medium bowl and set aside. Reserve a few basil leaves for serving.
- Next, place the panko, oregano, garlic powder, pepper, and the remaining ¾ cup parmesan in a food processor. Pulse until its very finely ground and place in a shallow dish and set aside.
- Place flour in another shallow bowl and eggs in a third shallow bowl
- Prepare your assembly area. Set a few baking sheets or wire racks aside for your prepared eggplant slices and line up your flour, eggs and panko mixture.
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Working one slice at a time, first dredge the eggplant in flour, then dip in egg, allowing excess to drip off. Coat in breadcrumbs, I find pressing down on each slice then flipping and repeating and shaking off excess works best. You want a full even coat. Then place each slice on the baking sheets or wire racks. Prepare all the slices.
- Once all the eggplant has been prepared heat ⅔ cup oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Make sure the oil is hot before starting to cook or the eggplant will come out soggy.
- Fit as many slices as will comfortably fit in the pan and cook, turning just once, until deep golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes a side.
- Immediately transfer slices to paper towels and press with more paper towels to absorb the oil. Work in batches and repeat with remaining slices, adding the remaining oil and wiping out the skillet as needed.
- Next prepare to assemble the eggplant parmesan. Spread 1 cup of sauce over the bottom of a 13x9" baking dish and top with a layer of eggplant slices. Drizzle 1 cup sauce over the slices and sprinkle with one-third of the cheese mixture. Add another layer of eggplant, followed by 1 cup of sauce and half of the remaining cheese mixture. Repeat with remaining slices, sauce, and cheese mixture and top with any extra cheese mixture.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake until eggplant is bubbly and custardy, 45–60 minutes. You can place on a rimmed baking sheet if you are worried about overflow.
- When ready remove from the oven and place the fresh mozzarella slices over the eggplant and increase the temperature to 425°. Bake uncovered for an additional 15-20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and browned in spots.
- Remove from oven and allow to sit for just a few minutes and top with basil leaves just before slicing
