This layered masterpiece features baked or fried eggplant slices alternating with tomato sauce, basil, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. The dish is then baked until golden and bubbly, resulting in a heavenly vegetarian main course or side dish that’s comforting, flavorful, and satisfying. Simple Italian ingredients come together to create a triumph of flavors and textures in the safety and comfort of your home kitchen. Like a vegetarian lasagna or Greek Moussaka, parmigiana is a layered casserole dish. Thin eggplant slices are hugged by a flavorful tomato sauce, melty mozzarella, and tasty parmesan cheese. Here, we’ll show you how to make an authentic Italian parmigiana di melanzane with oven-baked eggplant slices rather than deep-fried ones. Please note that unlike Eggplant Parm – its American cousin – the eggplant slices in Italian parmigiana are not breaded in all-purpose flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs. Like eggplant risotto, spaghetti al pomodoro, cherry tomato pasta, and rigatoni arrabbiata, parmigiana is one of our favorite dishes when we want something comforting and oozing with a tasty tomato sauce.
Eggplants
Italian eggplant and globe American eggplant are the best varieties to make Italian parmigiana. They are the most common eggplant variety, oval-shaped with dark, shiny skin. There is no need to peel the eggplants or salt and purge the eggplant slices to remove bitterness, as most modern eggplants are grown without bitterness.
Tomato Puree
We recommend tomato puree (US and Canada) or tomato passata (Europe and Australia). Try to get one in a glass bottle imported from Italy; they are less acidic and slightly sweeter, and you won’t need to add sugar to the sauce. If you use an imported Italian brand, it will probably say “Passata” on the bottle, sometimes localized by the word “Puree” if you are in the USA and Canada.You can use smooth passata or chunky passata; that’s up to you. Substitute passata for canned crushed tomatoes, although they tend to be more watery, so you might have to cook the sauce a little longer. You can use store-bought marinara sauce for a speedier parmigiana.
Garlic and Onion
Garlic and onion add flavor and aroma to the tomato sauce. We want something similar to a marinara sauce but slightly sweeter, so we add the onion. Try to use fresh ingredients, not onion powder or garlic powder.
Olive oil
We use good-quality extra virgin olive oil to gently fry the onion and garlic, which creates a flavor base for the “sugo” (sauce) of this parmigiana di melanzane. We also brush the eggplant slices with extra-virgin olive oil before baking them. This method cooks them faster and has more flavor.
Parmigiano Reggiano
I’d avoid generic “parmesan” and opt for imported Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano. Also, getting a piece and grating it at home is best to ensure you get the real deal. Often, pre-grated storebought parmesan includes cheaper ingredients and stabilizers that melt terribly. You can substitute Pecorino Romano or Pecorino Sardo for Parmigiano Reggiano, but remember that they have a pungent, almost spicy taste, and some people might not like them. Vegetarians & Vegans: Just so you know, while we consider all cheeses vegetarian, technically, neither Parmigiano Reggiano nor Grana Padano are vegetarian because they are made with animal rennet.If that’s a problem, please replace them with a vegetarian or vegan cheese alternative.
Mozzarella
We use fresh fior di latte mozzarella, which comes stored in water. Vacum-packed and grated mozzarella, generally used for pizza, is also ok. Vegetarians & Vegans: Mozzarella is suitable for a vegetarian diet. For vegans, grated melty vegan cheese is easily found in most supermarkets. We tested Vio Life and Simply V, and they both worked well.
Basil
Parmigiana should have a mild basil aroma, so fresh basil leaves are non-negotiable (at least for us). If you don’t have access to fresh basil, substitute dried oregano, although we recommend sticking to fresh basil if you can.
Salt and Pepper
We add sea salt or kosher salt for taste and freshly ground black pepper for aroma. Parmigiana is not spicy.
1. Make the Tomato Sauce
Heat the olive oil in a large pan with low edges. Add the finely chopped onion and sauté for 3 minutes, then add the grated or pressed garlic and sauté for one more minute. Pour in the tomato passata, season with salt and black pepper, and simmer on medium to low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, bake the eggplants. Tip: The sauce should be dense and not watery once cooked.
2. Bake the Eggplants
Preheat the oven to 430°F or 220°C. Line three large baking trays or baking racks with parchment paper. Rinse and dry the eggplants, then cut off their stems. Cut the eggplants into 1/4-inch (0.6 cm) slices. Arrange the eggplant slices on the baking trays on a single layer without overlapping. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt. Bake in the oven (fan-assisted if your oven has that) at 430°F or 220°C for about 25 minutes until the eggplant slices are golden-brown. Tip: You can bake the three trays simultaneously but might have to swap their position as they cook, depending on your oven.Using the fan-assisted function of the oven helps distribute the heat when the oven is crowded with three baking trays.All slices should be golden brown on top. This method makes the eggplant tastier and less watery, making a creamier and more flavorful parmigiana.
3. Assemble the Parmigiana
BEFORE YOU START: We make parmigiana with four layers of eggplant slices, and the last layer has more sauce, parmesan, and mozzarella than the other layers.Keep this in mind when you add the sauce and the cheese. Add a little tomato sauce to a large baking dish or casserole (9 x 13 inches | 23 x 33 cm). We use a Pyrex dish. Add the first layer of eggplant slices. Arrange them tight but without overlapping. Cut the slices with scissors if they are too large. Cover with a ladleful of tomato sauce and spread it with the back of a spoon. Drizzle with a couple of handfuls of finely grated parmesan cheese, a sprinkle of grated or chopped mozzarella cheese, and a handful of basil leaves. Optionally, you can add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Cover with the second layer of eggplant slices, this time arranged in the opposite direction. Add a ladleful of tomato sauce, a handful of grated parmesan, one of mozzarella, and some fresh basil leaves. Repeat with two more layers of eggplant (4 eggplant layers total). The last layer should have more tomato sauce, parmesan, and mozzarella than the other layers. Don’t add basil on top.
4. Bake the Parmigiana
Bake the eggplant parmigiana in a preheated oven at 350°F or 180°C for about 30 minutes until the tomato sauce bubbles and the cheese melts. Let cool down for at least 15 minutes. Cooling down is essential. The parmigiana will be easier to cut and taste much better if the ingredients have time to cool down and meld together. Then garnish with fresh basil leaves and cut into six (main dish) or eight portions (side dish) with a sharp knife. Serve with a lasagna spatula. Put some good crusty bread or focaccia on the table so people can sop up the tomato sauce left over on their plates.
Eggplant Parmigiana as a main dish
Serve a larger portion as a main dish, with a fresh crunchy salad or an Italian salad and some crusty bread or focaccia on the side. You can also serve it with other bread-based sides, such as crostini, bruschetta, and Panzanella.
Eggplant Parmigiana as a side dish
Cut the parmigiana into smaller portions to enjoy as a side dish. We recommend serving it with other vegetarian meals, such as:
Lentil loaf Mushroom Wellington Stuffed butternut squash Tofu cacciatore
Lentil Loaf
Mushroom Wellington
Stuffed Butternut Squash
Panzanella
But the recipe is easier than you think. You can break it down into smaller steps and make it at different stages. For example, you can bake the eggplant slices and make the tomato sauce a day or two in advance. Then assemble and bake the dish the day after, store it in the fridge, warm it up, and serve it on the third day.It’s common practice in Italy to make parmigiana the day before serving it. That’s because its flavors meld overnight in the fridge, and it tastes even better the day after. It’s the perfect make-ahead meal because you can make it up to three days in advance. Then, when you have guests over, you need to warm it up in the oven for 15 minutes.What is essential, though, is that you bake the parmigiana as soon as you assemble it.You cannot store it in the fridge before baking it. It will become watery and acidic, and it will not taste good.
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