During the summer months, I love when eggplant starts popping up in my garden. I immediately start planning on what I will be making with them. One of my all-time favorite dishes is eggplant parmesan. I love how the silky eggplant is surrounded by melted fresh mozzarella and sauce. With every bite, it's a burst of flavor and is so comforting. As much as I love it I am quite discriminating on how it should look and taste. The eggplant needs to be peeled, thinly sliced lengthwise and salted. I never fry the eggplant slices, I only bake them. The dish can't be over-sauced or over cheesed. And finally, the eggplant parmesan should stand cleanly on the plate. It's incredibly delicious and looks just as it should. Here's how I do it.
Ingredients for Eggplant Parmesan:
3 eggplants, about 4 pounds
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
5 eggs + 1/3 cup water
3-4 cups seasoned bread crumbs
6 cups of your favorite marinara sauce, no meat
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
a handful of fresh basil
Time-Saving Tips: Prepare eggplant slices earlier in the day, and then the rest of the dish can be assembled before baking.
Let's see what we need.
We're ready to cook.
Peel the eggplant and then cut them lengthwise into 1/8" slices. Spread all of the slices out on paper towels and sprinkle both sides with a total of 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt. Let the eggplant rest for 20-30 minutes and then using a paper towel blot both sides of the slices dry.
Preheat the oven to 400-degrees. Set up a work station to "bread" the eggplant. I recommend using a pie dish to put the eggs and water. Pour the flour and bread crumbs on separate plates or pie dishes. One at a time, dip a piece of eggplant into the flour and shake off the excess, then dip it in the egg mixture until it is completely coated and then finally into the breadcrumbs. Shake off the excess crumbs and place the eggplant slices on a parchment-lined sheet pan that is covered with cooking spray.
Once all of the slices are breaded spray the top of all of them with more cooking spray. Pop in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes. The bottom of the slices should be brown; turn over and bake another 15 minutes or until light brown.
Set up another work station with the cooked eggplant slices, sauce, mozzarella, basil, and grated cheese.
Spread about a cup of sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Using tongs, pick up a piece of eggplant and dip both sides of it in the sauce and then place in the baking dish. Continue until there is a completed layer of eggplant in the dish. Ladle the eggplant with one cup of sauce, mozzarella, one tablespoon grated cheese, and some torn basil. Repeat the layers until there is no more eggplant. For the final layer use an additional 1/2 cup of sauce, a total of 1 1/2 cups, and do not use any basil.
Place the eggplant in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Let the eggplant parmesan rest for 20 minutes before cutting; sprinkle with additional fresh basil.
It's ready! This is pure deliciousness.
Enjoy!
Eggplant Parmesan:
main dish
3 eggplants, about 4 pounds
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
5 eggs + 1/3 cup water
3-4 cups seasoned bread crumbs
6 cups of your favorite marinara sauce, no meat
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
a handful of fresh basil
Peel the eggplant and then cut them lengthwise into 1/8" slices. Spread all of the slices out on paper towels and sprinkle both sides with a total of 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt. Let the eggplant rest for 20-30 minutes and then using a paper towel blot both sides of the slices dry.
Preheat the oven to 400-degrees. Set up a work station to "bread" the eggplant. I recommend using a pie dish to put the eggs and water. Pour the flour and bread crumbs on separate plates or pie dishes. One at a time, dip a piece of eggplant into the flour and shake off the excess, then dip it in the egg mixture until it is completely coated and then finally into the breadcrumbs. Shake off the excess crumbs and place the eggplant slices on a parchment-lined sheet pan that is covered with cooking spray.
Once all of the slices are breaded spray the top of all of them with more cooking spray. Pop in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes. The bottom of the slices should be brown; turn over and bake another 15 minutes or until light brown.
Set up another work station with the cooked eggplant slices, sauce, mozzarella, basil, and grated cheese.
Spread about a cup of sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Using tongs, pick up a piece of eggplant and dip both sides of it in the sauce and then place in the baking dish. Continue until there is a completed layer of eggplant in the dish. Ladle the eggplant with one cup of sauce, mozzarella, one tablespoon grated cheese, and some torn basil. Repeat the layers until there is no more eggplant. For the final layer use an additional 1/2 cup of sauce, a total of 1 1/2 cups, and do not use any basil.
Place the eggplant in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Let the eggplant parmesan rest for 20 minutes before cutting; sprinkle with additional fresh basil.
Time-Saving Tips: Prepare eggplant slices earlier in the day, and then the rest of the dish can be assembled before baking.
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