Parmigiana di Melanzane - Eggplant Parmigiana
Servings: 6
Calories: 390kcal
Parmigiana di melanzane or eggplant parmigiana is a famous Italian recipe featuring layers of eggplant, rich tomato sauce and parmesan cheese!
Print Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Baking dish 10.5" x 7"/ 26cm x17cm
Ingredients
- 3 large eggplants
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 3 cups pureed tomatoes or passata
- small bunch of basil leaves
- 3 cups sunflower oil or vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon breadcrumbs (optional)
- 1 ball mozzarella cheese sliced or cubed
- 2 cups Parmesan cheese freshly-grated
Instructions
- Cut the eggplant into 5 mm / ¼ inch slices. Arrange the eggplant slices in a large colander, sprinkle with coarse sea salt, cover with a plate and put a weight on it, to allow the eggplants to sweat some of their water. Let them sit for 30 minutes, then rinse them and pat them dry with kitchen paper.
- In the meantime, prepare the tomato sauce. Heat a sauce pan with the olive oil, add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the tomato passata and a couple of basil leaves. Simmer on low heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring every now and then. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper and set it aside.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan oil until it reaches a temperature of 350°F / 175°C. Add a few eggplant slices at a time and fry until golden, then remove them and place them on kitchen paper to absorb the oil in excess.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C and arrange the baking tray onto the middle shelf.
- Spoon a bit of the tomato sauce over the base of a baking dish. I use a 10.5" x 7"/ 26cm x17cm dish, a smaller dish will work well too.
- Arrange a layer of eggplant slices, then cover with a few spoonfuls of tomatoes sauce, some grated parmesan cheese, and scatter a few basil leaves on top. Repeat with a layer of eggplant slices, then tomato sauce, parmesan cheese and basil leaves, until you have used up all the eggplant slices.
- Finish with a layer of tomato sauce, sprinkle some parmesan cheese and optional breadcrumbs and mozzarella cheese on top. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, then remove the parmigiana di melanzane from the oven, allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes and serve.
Video
Notes
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- Try to use freshly-grated Parmigiano cheese if possible, it tastes so much better than pre-grated Parmesan cheese.
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- Cut the eggplant into 5 mm / ¼ inch slices.
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- When salting the eggplant slices, use coarse sea salt or kosher salt, which is easier to wash than fine salt.
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- To prevent the parmigiana top from being too watery, slice the mozzarella in advance and arrange the slices on kitchen paper before use.
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- Use a large frying pan to reduce the amount of vegetable oil you need, and fry a few eggplant slices at a time.
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- When frying, the oil should have a temperature of 350°F or 175°C. If you don't have a kitchen thermometer, try adding a small piece of eggplant, if tiny bubbles form around it, you're good to go!
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- You can prepare the tomato sauce a day in advance to save some extra time.
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- Eggplant parmigiana is best with a smooth tomato sauce, so I recommend using passata rather than whole tomatoes for making the tomato sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 390kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 835mg | Potassium: 1166mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 1205IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 638mg | Iron: 3mg