Italy / USA · Main · Medium
Eggplant Parmesan
Rome's most famous pasta. Silky egg and Pecorino sauce clinging to every strand, studded with crisp guanciale. No cream, ever.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Eggplant Parmesan, in 5 ideas
- A rack beats paper towels. Fried slices on paper towels steam underneath and go soggy. A wire rack keeps air circulating.
- Thin sauce, not thick. A watery marinara makes the breading slide off. Use a thick sauce or simmer yours down first.
- Fresh mozzarella melts better. Low-moisture is fine, but fresh gives you those gorgeous creamy pools.
- Bake, do not fry, for lighter. Breaded slices baked at 425F with an oil spray are not as rich but still excellent.
- It reheats beautifully. Leftovers the next day, warmed in the oven, are arguably better than fresh.
What you need
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
- 2 tbsp salt, for drawing moisture
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1 lb fresh mozzarella, sliced
- 1 cup grated parmesan, divided
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup olive oil, for frying
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
How to make it
Directions
- Lay the eggplant slices on baking sheets and salt both sides generously. Rest 30 minutes. You will see beads of moisture form. Pat completely dry with towels.
- Heat the oven to 375F. Set up a breading station: flour in one dish, beaten eggs in another, breadcrumbs in a third.
- Dredge each slice in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing so the coating sticks.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the slices in batches until deep golden, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on a rack, not paper towels, so they stay crisp.
- Spread a thin layer of marinara in a 9x13 baking dish. Layer eggplant, sauce, mozzarella, and a sprinkle of parmesan. Repeat. Finish with sauce and the remaining parmesan.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes until bubbly and browned on top. Rest 10 minutes before serving so the layers set.
- Scatter fresh basil over the top.
Do not skip the salting. It draws out the bitter liquid and collapses the spongy texture so the eggplant fries crisp instead of turning to mush.