This simple Eggplant Parmesan recipe options crispy, breaded slices of eggplant topped with marinara sauce and loads of mozzarella cheese, baked right into a saucy and tacky casserole. You will fall in love with this vegetarian twist of our top-rated basic Italian Hen Parmesan recipe.
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We love making family-friendly, Italian-inspired dishes, from Baked Ziti, Bruschetta, Lasagna, and Tuscan Shrimp Pasta. It’s a particular bonus once we can incorporate contemporary components like tomatoes, contemporary herbs, and eggplant straight from our summer time backyard.
Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
Eggplant, often known as “aubergine,” could seem unique, but it surely belongs to the nightshade household, making it as frequent as its family members, tomatoes and potatoes. Whereas we don’t prepare dinner with it usually, it’s an actual deal with once we do. One in every of my responsible pleasures is my mother’s Spicy Eggplant dish. In case you’re a fan of eggplant, and even should you’ve by no means tried it, this simple Eggplant Parmesan recipe is a must-add to your culinary repertoire. You gained’t remorse it!
Suggestions for Selecting a Good Eggplant
When procuring on the retailer, farmer’s market, or your own home backyard, right here’s what to search for:
- Dimension: small to medium-sized eggplants, as they are typically much less bitter and have fewer seeds. The eggplant ought to really feel heavy on account of its excessive water content material.
- Sound: Give the eggplant a mild knock; a hole sound may point out it’s older and comprises extra seeds. You need one which sounds dense and stable.
- Look: Select eggplants with uniform pores and skin coloration, regardless of which selection you purchase, and make sure the pores and skin is agency when pressed. Search for a inexperienced cap and stem indicating freshness.
What to Keep away from – eggplants which are too tender is likely to be previous their prime, bitter, and beginning to spoil. A lighter-weight eggplant or one with a brown stem means it was picked longer in the past and has began to dry out and grow to be bitter.
Elements for Eggplant Parmesan
You want just some pantry staples, along with the eggplant, to make a scrumptious Eggplant Parm.
- Eggplant – the star of this dish, breaded and fried to grow to be completely crispy, it serves as a pleasant vegetarian various to a conventional Hen Parmigiana dish.
- Flour – All-purpose flour is crucial for the dry-wet-dry breading course of. Add salt and pepper, then dredge the eggplant slices, making certain they’re completely coated.
- Eggs – Act as a binding agent to assist the flour and breadcrumbs adhere to the eggplant slices.
- Bread crumbs – Utilizing seasoned Italian crumbs provides a crispy texture and flavorful coating for the eggplant. You can even make your individual by pulsing leftover dried-out Sourdough Bread with Italian seasoning.
- Parmesan cheese – Blended with the breadcrumbs to reinforce taste, create a crispy exterior, and add taste.
- Olive oil – Used for frying the breaded eggplant slices, giving them a crispy, golden-brown exterior.
- Marinara sauce – I choose to make use of do-it-yourself marinara sauce (make a double batch), however your favourite store-bought tomato sauce works properly in a pinch.
- Mozzarella cheese – This melty cheese layer provides richness and binds the dish collectively.
- Basil – Recent basil leaves are the right garnish, including a contemporary and fragrant contact.
Find out how to Make Basic Eggplant Parmesan
- Put together the eggplant – Slice eggplant into 1/3” thick rounds. Season with 1 tsp salt and put aside to sweat for 30-60 minutes. You’ll see beads of liquid on the floor of the slices.
- Arrange the breading station – Preheat the oven to 375°F. Arrange your dry-wet-dry station with 3 shallow bowls. Within the first bowl, whisk collectively the flour, 1 tsp salt, and pepper. Within the second bowl, beat the eggs. Within the third bowl, stir collectively the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
- Dredge the eggplant – Pat dry the eggplant slices completely with paper towels. Dip every slice into the flour, tapping off the surplus. Utilizing a fork to maintain your fingers clear, dip the slice into the egg wash, letting the surplus drip again into the bowl. Lastly, switch the slice to the breadcrumb combination and switch to coat, urgent down to assist the breadcrumbs adhere to the eggplant.
- Fry Eggplant – Add oil to a skillet, about 1/3” deep, and set over medium warmth. Fry the eggplant in batches, arranging them in a single layer. The eggplant ought to sizzle when it touches the oil. Fry for 3 minutes per aspect or till golden brown. Switch the fried slices to a paper towel-lined plate or baking sheet to empty extra oil.
- Assemble and bake Eggplant Parmesan – Add 1/2 cup marinara to the underside of your 9×13 casserole dish. Add half of the eggplant slices, overlapping as wanted. Pour half of the remaining marinara sauce over the eggplant, then sprinkle on half of the cheese. Add a second layer of eggplant slices, adopted by the remaining marinara sauce and cheese. Bake the casserole uncovered at 375°F for 30-35 minutes, till the highest is golden and the sauce is effervescent.
Why You Ought to Sweat Eggplant with Salt
Older eggplants may also style extra bitter and salting the eggplant helps draw out the bitter taste.
Eggplants even have a excessive water content material, which may generally result in a mushy texture when cooked. It is best to take away the surplus water by salting it. The salt attracts the water to the floor of the eggplant.
After letting the eggplant sweat, make sure that to completely pat the eggplant slices dry with paper towels. This may assist keep away from splatter throughout cooking and stop a soggy bread crumb coating.
Can I Bake Eggplant As an alternative of Frying?
Whereas frying the eggplant is the standard methodology of creating this dish, you may attempt our Baked Eggplant Parmesan recipe for a lower-calorie various. Though it gained’t be as crispy because the fried model, baking the eggplant continues to be scrumptious and can prevent time by not having to face over the range.
What to serve with Eggplant Parmesan
Whereas Eggplant Parm is hearty sufficient to face alone as a principal course, we like to serve it with pasta (spaghetti, fettuccine, or any pasta of your selection) tossed in marinara or easy garlic and olive oil. This dish pairs superbly with basic Italian sides, significantly a lightweight salad that helps stability its wealthy flavors.
Make-Forward
If saved correctly, Eggplant Parmesan may be loved over a number of meals with out compromising its scrumptious taste and texture.
- To Refrigerate: Let cool utterly and retailer in an hermetic container for as much as 4 days.
- Freezing: Totally assemble your recipe as instructed as much as the baking step. With out baking, cowl with foil and freeze for as much as 3 months. Thaw within the fridge earlier than baking. You will have so as to add a number of further minutes of baking time if cooking straight from the fridge.
- Reheating: To reheat particular person parts, you need to use the microwave or for a crispier various, the air fryer. Place your leftover Eggplant Parmesan in a single layer within the air fryer basket, and warmth at 400°F for five minutes. Flip them, and prepare dinner for one more 4 minutes or till heated all through.
I hope you get pleasure from this irresistible Eggplant Parmesan recipe and savor each tacky, crispy chew – it’s certain to grow to be a household favourite!
Extra Eggplant Recipes
In case you’re a fan of eggplant, don’t miss out on these different scrumptious recipes that includes this versatile ingredient. Who knew there have been so many implausible methods to get pleasure from eggplant?
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Basic Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
Eggplant Parmesan is crispy breaded eggplant, layered with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese, baked to perfection right into a saucy and tacky casserole.
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Slice eggplant into 1/3” thick rounds. Season with 1 tsp salt and put aside to sweat for 30-60 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 375°F. Arrange 3 shallow bowls. Within the first, whisk collectively flour, 1 tsp salt and pepper. Within the second bowl, beat the eggs. Within the third bowl, stir collectively bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.
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Pat dry the eggplant completely with paper towels. Dip a slice into the flour, tapping off the surplus, then utilizing a fork to maintain your fingers from getting gummed up, dip in egg wash, letting the surplus drip again into the bowl. Lastly, switch to the breading and switch to coat, urgent down on the eggplant helps to stick the eggplant.
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Add oil to a skillet, about 1/3” deep and set over medium warmth. Fry the eggplant in batches in a single layer. The eggplant ought to sizzle when it touches the oil. Fry for 3 minutes per aspect or till golden brown. Switch to a paper towel lined plate or baking sheet to empty extra oil.
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Add 1/2 cup marinara to the underside of your 9×13 inch casserole dish. Add half of the eggplant slices, overlapping as wanted. Pour over half of your sauce, and sprinkle half of your cheese over the eggplant slices. Add the second layer of eggplant, adopted by your remaining sauce and cheese. Bake uncovered at 375°F for 30-35 minutes till the highest is golden and the sauce is effervescent. Garnish with basil to serve.
458kcal Energy40g Carbs25g Protein23g Fats
Vitamin Information
Basic Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
Quantity per Serving
% Each day Worth*
* P.c Each day Values are based mostly on a 2000 calorie weight-reduction plan.
Good Issues
A peek behind the scenes 👀.
My cheese-pull recipes used to emphasize me out since there was a really small window to seize the epic gooey, stringy cheese pull that you just see within the photographs above (we name that the ‘cash shot’ lol). Now that now we have this warmth gun, we’re in a position to re-melt that cheese on our personal phrases, and I’ve method much less cheese panic in my life.
Additionally, it’s at all times actual cheese as a result of we really eat what we make. We don’t physician our meals with bizarre components – it’s at all times the true deal!
