Eggplant Parmigiana
makes a 13x9 pyrex dish
serves 6 people as a main dish or 3 people, with a chance for delicious leftovers!

JUMP TO RECIPE

Preparing eggplant parmigiana is not for the faint of heart. It’s a labor of love and something, I think, you only do for people you love. Standing over a stove and frying is labor intensive and that energy is only for those you know will appreciate it; not to mention the clean up. Preparing eggplant parmigiana is a process that requires patience, organization and, yes, love. My nonna fashioned the best eggplant parmigiana, light, fresh, flavorful and soft. She would thinly cut the eggplant and salt it so it would be soft and tender; allowing the water to release - then bathed each slice in flour and egg. One by one, each slice of eggplant was coated in its batter and was freshly fried in oil. Honestly, I could never eat eggplant parmigiana in a restaurant because it was always so heavy, laden with breadcrumbs and, often, too oily. The leftovers make for ridiculous sandwiches and reheat beautifully if you’d like to serve it as a second meal. I went ahead and prepared this labor of love for my Aunt Debbie and Uncle Al for Sunday dinner, where it was the main dish and star. I also got to thinking, this would make a lovely meal for New Years Day as well, so maybe it will reappear at my parents home in just a few weeks.

Now, ditch your breadcrumbs and let’s get started!

Step 1
Every excellent eggplant parmigiana starts with a homemade marinara sauce, and this isn’t something you need to labor over, in fact, I would prefer if you didn’t. Here is the recipe to my favorite, simple, one pot marinara that only requites one onion, a can of crushed tomatoes and butter. It doesn’t get any easier than that.

While the sauce is cooking, start prepping the rest of your ingredients.

Step 2
Now, the next step is optional, but worth it, in my opinion. On every layer of her eggplant parmigiana, my nonna would put a paste made of basil and garlic. To each layer this adds a fragrant punch as the basil and garlic bake into the sauce, cheeses and eggplant - really infusing the whole dish with a fresh, sweet, flavor.

Step 3
You’ll want to remove any excess water from the eggplant, which also allows for easier frying and removes any bitterness. So, prepare two baking sheets each with a layer of paper towels, then slice the eggplant about 1/4 to a 1/2 an inch thick and place on the trays. Sprinkle each side of the eggplant with salt and allow them to sit for 20-30 minutes.
Now you can move on to Step 4, but be sure to come back here in 20-30 minutes to blot the water off of the eggplant as the eggplant slices will need to be dried off to start the frying process!

Step 4
Set up your frying station! Why a frying station? Because the eggplant need to be dipped in flour, then in egg, and directly placed into the frying pan. Unlike breading eggplant, this method does not allow you to prepare all of your eggplant ahead of time (like you would a milanesa aka a chicken cutlet) and then get to frying. But the labor is worth it, I promise! Once you have eggplant parmigiana this way, there will be no going back.

Setting up a frying station will require the below and you’ll want to set up your pan and the dishes below in this order
1. Preparing a pan with canola, vegetable or olive oil - or feel free to combine those oils for frying. Coat the bottom of the pan with 1/2 to 1” of oil
2. Cover the bottom of a baking dish with flour and season with salt and pepper
3. Beat 6 eggs in a baking dish with salt, pepper and pecorino/grated cheese
4. Prepare a tray with paper towels, so your eggplant have a resting place

Step 5
Get ready to fry!
Heat oil over a medium flame and repeat the process of flouring and battering the eggplant in the egg wash until you have enough pieces to place in the frying pan. Dredge, dip and egg and place directly in the hot oil. Fry for approximately 2-3 minutes on each side until the eggplant is golden brown. Once done, place the eggplant on your prepared paper towel lined tray and allow oil to drain. Repeat this process until all eggplant have been fried. Remember to add oil to your pan as you need it and place paper towels between the layers of eggplant as your done frying.

Step 6
Assemble your bounty of beautifully golden, fried eggplant! Here’s the fun part, also, we’re almost eating!
Grab a 13x9 pyrex/baking dish and coat the bottom of it with a few spoons of sauce, not too much! Use your best judgement! Begin placing the first layer of eggplant, covering the bottom of the dish. Feel free to cut the pieces of eggplant to fill in any gaps as you cover and create layers in the dish. Add a spoonful of sauce (don’t drench the layers, again, cooking is about using your wonderful and intuitive judgement), followed by a sprinkle of pecorino/Locatelli cheese, a dollop of the basil/garlic paste and, finally mozzarella. Repeat this process in layers until all of the fried eggplant slices have been used. Finish with a healthy coating of sauce and mozzarella as seen below.

Before the bake, your eggplant parmigiana should look something like this!
Place the eggplant parmigiana in a preheated 375 degree oven and allow to bake through until hot, bubbly and golden on top - for about 30-35 minutes.

After 30-35 minutes, remove the baking dish from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes, this will allow for easier slicing and eggplant parm that will stay together, as opposed to falling apart.
Serve with salad, a side of pasta, or as is. Enjoy and share with those you love.

Eggplant Parmigiana
makes a 13x9 pyrex dish
serves 6 people as a main dish or 3 people, with a chance for delicious leftovers!

Ingredients
Vegetable, Canola or Olive oil for frying
2 large eggplants
Homemade tomato sauce
5-6 cloves garlic
10-12 large basil leaves
16 oz fresh mozzarella (very thinly sliced)
6 eggs
1 1/2 c. flour
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated pecorino or Locatelli cheese

Eggplant Preparation and Frying Instructions
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Slice eggplant (skin on) in 1/4 to 1/2 inch round slices, sprinkle with salt and place on a baking sheet so water releases from the eggplant
-After 20-30 minutes, using a paper towel, pat the eggplant dry
-Add garlic and basil to a food processor, pulse until a paste is formed, and put aside
-Add flour to a shallow dish and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper
-In a separate shallow dish, beat eggs with a dash of salt, pepper and pecorino, and put aside
-Place about 1/3 c. olive oil in a LARGE frying pan (about 1” covered on the bottom of the pan) and heat over a medium low flame
-Begin lightly coating eggplant in flour, so each side is covered but not packed with flour
-Dip eggplant in egg and transfer to the frying pan
-Fry eggplant until golden (about 2-3 minutes) and turn, repeating this process until all of the eggplant has been fried
-As eggplant is done frying, place on a dish covered with a paper towel so excess oil can be absorbed

Arranging the Eggplant Parmigiana
-Arrange 1 layer of eggplant (each piece should slightly overlap) in an 13x9 pyrex dish
-Add sauce, sprinkle with pecorino/Locatelli cheese, add garlic/bail paste, layer with thinly sliced mozzarella
-Repeat this process, layer by layer, until all of the eggplant slices have been used (for this recipe you should have 4 layers of eggplant)
-Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted, golden and bubbly
-Serve as a main dish or pair with a side of pasta or salad of your choice

Nonna's Eggplant Parmigiana 2.0