Eggplant Parmesan is an Italian classic casserole dish with layers of crispy breaded eggplant slices, creamy cheese mixture, and tomato sauce.
From Chicken Parmesan to Lasagna, nothing says Italian comfort food like layers of gooey mozzarella cheese and rich marinara sauce. This hearty eggplant dish has all the Italian seasoning you love in a cozy vegetarian Dinner.
Sabrina’s Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
Eggplant Parmesan, also known as Eggplant Parmigiana, is a well-loved, delicious, classic Italian dish. It’s a hearty casserole that is almost like Eggplant Lasagna but instead of pasta sheets, it has layers of eggplant slices that have been breaded and fried before baking until they are tender. This rustic Italian comfort food is perfect for a Sunday dinner with a tossed Italian Salad and Garlic Bread, just like you’d get at your favorite local family-run Trattoria.
Ingredients
To Prepare Eggplant:
- 4 medium eggplants about 6 to 8 inches long
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Eggplant Coating:
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 4 cups bread crumbs
- 1 cups Parmesan grated
- vegetable oil for frying
To Finish:
- 4 cups marinara sauce
- 2 cups ricotta
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
Eggplant Preparation:
- Cut ends off eggplants and slice into rounds, about ¼ inch thick. Lay slices on a cooling rack and season with salt. Let sit for 20 minutes.
- Flip, season again, and let sit for another 20 minutes.
- Pat dry with paper towels.
Coating:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a low bowl whisk together garlic, egg, parsley, salt and pepper.
- In a second low bowl add the bread crumbs and grated Parmesan, stirring well.
- Dredge the eggplant into the egg mixture then the breadcrumbs.
- Let rest on cooling rack for 5 minutes.
- Add oil to a large frying pan on medium high heat.
- Fry the eggplant rounds 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Layering:
- Add 1 cup marinara sauce to the bottom of a 9×13" baking dish.
- Top with a row of eggplant, mozzarella cheese and ricotta.
- Add a second and third layer ending with additional marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes until crispy and bubbly.
Nutrition
Want to save this recipe? Create a free account to easily save your favorite recipes
