This baked Eggplant Parmesan recipe is traditional Italian consolation meals at its most interesting! This hearty dinner can be come a go-to.
It’s bought bubbly cheese, garlicky tomato sauce, and savory, meaty breaded eggplant: it’s Eggplant Parmesan! This vegetarian Italian traditional is hearty, filling, and pleases nearly everybody. Most eating places use fried eggplant, however for a home made model it’s a lot easier to bake. Right here’s our greatest baked Eggplant Parmesan recipe: quicker and simpler to make at dwelling than most recipes and stuffed with unimaginable taste. Even our vegetable-averse 5 yr outdated promptly requested for seconds! We hope it would grow to be a go-to in your loved ones like it’s in ours.
Elements on this Eggplant Parmesan recipe
Eggplant Parmesan is a traditional Italian dish made with layers of breaded eggplant, cheese, and tomato sauce, then baked till bubbly. Referred to as parmigiana di melanzane in Italian, it comes from the Southern areas of Calabria and Sicily however is now served all around the world. The eggplant is fried in restaurant-style variations, but it surely’s best to make baked eggplant when making it in your house kitchen. Right here’s what you’ll want for home made eggplant Parmesan:
- Eggplant
- Flour (or almond flour for gluten-free)
- Eggs
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Plain panko (or breadcrumbs; use gluten-free panko for gluten-free)
- Dried oregano
- Hearth roasted crushed tomatoes
- Garlic
- Recent basil
- Olive oil
- Shredded entire milk mozzarella cheese
Just a few ingredient notes
As with all Italian dish, the success of this Eggplant Parmesan recipe depends upon the standard of components! Right here’s what to search for while you’re procuring:
- Search for medium eggplants. Dimension issues right here: large eggplant rounds don’t look fairly as good within the dish. However generally the grocery solely has giant eggplants, so use what yow will discover! The secret is utilizing 2 kilos: it ought to equal about 18 to twenty rounds.
- Use fireplace roasted tomatoes. Fire roasted tomatoes make one of the best taste: they style candy and smoky proper out of the can. In the event you can’t discover them, substitute highest quality tomatoes with 1 teaspoon sugar and ½ teaspoon smoked paprika. Or, use 1 ½ cups highest quality marinara sauce.
- Entire milk mozzarella cheese makes a distinction. It melts significantly better than half skim and has a richer taste. It additionally melts higher when reheating.
Find out how to make Eggplant Parmesan: some ideas
This baked Eggplant Parmesan recipe is quicker and simpler than most recipes, but it surely nonetheless takes about 1 hour to make and bake. Hold this in thoughts in your meal prepping (and evaluation the notes under on make forward ideas). Listed below are just a few notes in regards to the course of:
- Place salt on the eggplant for simply 10 minutes. This seasons them previous to baking. Many recipes require you to salt the eggplant for 1 hour, however this isn’t obligatory. (Previously, folks would do that to take away a bitter taste, however at the moment’s eggplants are bred to be much less bitter. It additionally permits the eggplant to launch moisture, however that’s not required with this baked technique.)
- Dredge the eggplant in flour, egg and breadcrumbs. That is the standard mixture in Italian cooking that you simply’d do previous to frying the eggplant. However it works simply as properly with baking!
- Bake the eggplant for 20 minutes at 425 levels Fahrenheit, flipping as soon as. The new oven makes them crispy and golden brown: like frying however with no further oil!
- In the meantime, make the tomato sauce. Combine crushed tomatoes, garlic, recent basil and olive oil.
- Layer the eggplant with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese in a baking dish. Bake for quarter-hour till the cheese is bubbly.
Leftover storage and make forward ideas
This Eggplant Parmesan recipe takes about 1 hour to make, which isn’t at all times attainable for a weeknight dinner. We often make this one for entertaining or on weekends, however you may as well meal prep a number of the elements. This recipe additionally freezes properly, which makes it nice for a fast leftover dinner. Listed below are just a few concepts for make forward and storage:
- Bake the eggplant slices upfront. This protects about 40 minutes off the timing of the recipe. Refrigerate the slices, then layer the dish and bake the day of creating.
- Leftovers retailer refrigerated for as much as 3 days. You can also make your complete dish upfront and refrigerate, but it surely’s so good freshly baked that we suggest the above possibility for make-ahead. Leftovers retailer properly.
- Freeze leftovers in a sealed container for as much as 3 months. Place on the counter or within the fridge to thaw, or you’ll be able to place it proper right into a 375 diploma oven and reheat till warmed by way of and the cheese is melted. (If it’s room temperature, you’ll be able to reheat at the next temperature, like 425.)
What to serve with Eggplant Parmesan
Historically, Eggplant Parmesan is served with pasta. However you may as well serve with salads, sauteed veggies and extra. It makes a hearty, crowd-pleasing vegetarian dinner that’s nice for events and impressing a crowd. Listed below are just a few concepts:
Extra eggplant recipes
Love working with this tasty vegetable? Listed below are just a few extra eggplant recipes you’ll love:
This baked Eggplant Parmesan recipe is…
Vegetarian. For gluten-free, use almond flour and gluten-free breadcrumbs or go to Gluten Free Eggplant Parmesan.
Description
This baked Eggplant Parmesan recipe is traditional Italian consolation meals at its most interesting! This hearty dinner can be come a go-to.
- 2 kilos eggplant (about 2 medium giant)
- ¾ cup flour*
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 cup plain panko (or bought or homemade breadcrumbs)
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano, divided
- 1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 28 ounces fire roasted crushed tomatoes*
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 handful recent basil, chopped, plus extra to garnish
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded entire milk mozzarella cheese***
- Preheat the oven to 425 levels Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Minimize off the ends of the eggplant and reduce it into 1/2-inch slices (to make roughly 18 slices). Sprinkle them with ¾ teaspoon salt and permit them to take a seat for 10 minutes when you put together the breading components.
- Place the flour on a plate. Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl and set it apart. In one other shallow bowl, mix the Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, 2 teaspoons oregano, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt and set it apart.
- Dip either side of every eggplant slice into the flour, then the eggs, then the Parmesan cheese combination. Place every slice onto the ready baking sheets. (Be aware: This will get messy; it’s possible you’ll want to clean or wipe your fingers off after each few slices.)
- Place the trays within the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then flip and bake 10 to fifteen minutes extra, till tender and golden brown.
- In the meantime, make the sauce: In a medium bowl, combine the fireplace roasted tomatoes, grated garlic, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, chopped recent basil, and olive oil. Combine properly till all of the olive oil is integrated.
- Take away the eggplant from the oven. Unfold 1 cup of the tomato sauce within the backside of a 9 x 13″ pan. Add half the baked eggplant in a layer (about 9 slices), then high with 1 cup tomato sauce and 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Add the second layer of eggplant (we like so as to add them proper on high of the primary layer to make 9 stacks). High with one other 1 cup tomato sauce and 1 cup shredded mozzarella on every stack. High with the remaining 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for quarter-hour till the cheese is melted and browned. Enable to chill for five minutes, then high with further chopped basil and serve. Retailer leftovers refrigerated for as much as 3 days (or frozen for 3 months); reheat within the oven till heat.
Notes
*You’ll have about ⅓ cup flour left over and about 1 egg, but it surely’s simpler for the breading. There additionally could also be some panko left over. These things aren’t included within the dietary data.
**Hearth roasted tomatoes make one of the best taste: they style candy and smoky proper out of the can. In the event you can’t discover them, substitute highest quality tomatoes with 1 teaspoon sugar and ½ teaspoon smoked paprika. Or, use 1 ½ cups highest quality marinara sauce.
***Entire milk mozzarella cheese melts significantly better than half skim mozzarella, and has a richer taste. It additionally melts higher when reheating leftovers.
- Class: Important Dish
- Technique: Baked
- Delicacies: Italian Impressed
- Weight-reduction plan: Vegetarian
Key phrases: Eggplant Parmesan, Eggplant Parmesan recipe, Baked Eggplant Parmesan, Recipe for Eggplant Parmesan, Baked Eggplant Parmesan recipe
