This recipe for Eggplant Parmigiano is absolutely delicious….I grew up in New York… most of my good friends were Italian… so I enjoyed the Italian foods my friends’ Moms made. Eggplant Parmigiano is high on that list. It really isn’t difficult to make.
You have to slice and bread the eggplant…. then traditionally it’s fried in olive oil. I will include the traditional instructions…. but I will also include a way of baking it with minimal oil. I found that when I fried the eggplant, the eggplant absorbed a lot of oil…. trying to be heart healthy… I came up with a way of baking it… and just spraying them with olive oil cooking spray. They tend to be drier… but it really doesn’t matter since you place them in a baking dish and smother them with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese…. the end result… is excellent… with a fraction of the fat content.
I used individual baking dishes in the picture above.
Manga!
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Eggplant Parmigiano Recipe
All you need:
2 medium size eggplants, peeled and sliced 1/8 to ¼ inch thick
3 eggs or egg substitute
Dash of milk
Flour seasoned with salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon garlic powder (about 1 1/2-2 cups)
2 cups Italian Bread Crumbs
½ cup olive oil (if frying)
Tomato Sauce
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, shredded
All you need to do:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Peel and slice eggplant.
Prepare the seasoned flour.
Whisk the egg and milk in a medium bowl.
Pour Italian seasoned bread crumbs into a plate or wide bowl.
Dredge the slices in the flour…. Then dip them into the egg mixture and then dredge in the bread crumbs.
If frying…. Heat a large skillet with the olive oil in it over medium heat. Fry the eggplant… you will need to do this in batches…. until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.
If baking… line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with olive oil cooking spray. You will need 2 cookie sheets or bake in batches.
Lay the eggplant in a sinle layer on the cookie sheet…. Lightly spray the tops of the eggplant with olive oil.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes then flip the eggplant slices and spray the tops with olive oil….bake for another 10 minutes.
In a 9x13 baking dish or individual baking dishes… spoon some tomato sauce on the bottom of the dish(es)…..
Lay the eggplant in a single layer on the dish… overlapping slightly if needed.
Spoon some tomato sauce over the eggplant slices…
Sprinkle heavily with shredded mozzarella cheese and shredded parmesan cheese.
Make another layer following the same instructions.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Uncover and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese begins to brown and the sauce is bubbling.
10 comments:
I love this meal ,its been quite a while since i've made it!
I forget about making it every once in a while too.... we eat it more in the summer when eggplant is available at farm stands
This is gorgeous!!! I've never actually made eggplant parm...always meant to. Thanks for finding me...must go look around! :) great blog!
Thanks! Try to make it ... it really is easy.
I just did a post on eggplant parm. Mine isn't breaded, just floured, and I bake it in the oven and just drizzle some EVOO over it. I make a special sauce for it and sprinkle Panko breadcrumbs over the sauce & eggplant before baking. BTW, just added you to my blogroll. You have a cool blog.
Thanks! There are a million versions of all these recipes... and that's what makes this so nice... we can just eat our way through them all!
The only thing i wish you would include in this is how many people you are able to serve.
Thanks for visiting Arya... you have a good point... how many servings depends a lot on what you serve this dish with.... I serve it with spaghetti and fresh Italian bread... and a small side salad...
I figure about 4 slices per adult... how many eggplants that you need depends on the size of the eggplant... I usually get good sized eggplants (not those small gourmet looking ones)... I usually get 2 eggplants ... that usually is enough to feed 4 with some leftovers.
I hope this helps you... have a great day and thanks for stopping by!
I know that my Italian grandmother would be so disappointed in me, but in making my Eggplant Parmigiano these days, I omit the egg dip and deep frying that she did with her recipe. I still fry, but only lightly in a non stick skillet with olive oil. No one has noticed the difference, and not only does it save time, it's healthier. lol
I do salt the eggplant slices beforehand, letting them sit for half an hour to draw out the excess water (wiping with paper towels before frying), but if eggplant is in season and very fresh that's not even necessary (salting helps to pull out any bitterness).
I've taken to freezing sauteed eggplant (slices) when in season so we can enjoy parmigiana all winter. :-)
Hi Carole...
My grandmothers... although not Italian... also cooked things in oil or butter... and used fattier meats... they didn't know back then how bad those things can be for you.. it wasn't until my grandfather developed heart disease did the cooking get tweaked... I try to keep my recipes as close to what they made but I do try to tweak them to be healthier...
Thanks for commenting .. and stopping by... please come again soon.
Linda
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