Traditional Eggplant Parmigiana

40 Ratings
  • 5 13
  • 4 8
  • 3 12
  • 2 7
  • 1 0

Layers of rich red sauce, meaty fried eggplant, and melted cheese... Are you hungry yet? Our method for eggplant parmigiana is sure to satisfy.

Everyday Food, November 2012

Gallery

Recipe Summary

prep:
50 mins
total:
2 hrs
Servings:
8
Advertisement

Ingredients

Directions

  • In a colander, toss eggplant with 2 teaspoons salt. Let stand 30 minutes. Arrange slices in a single layer on a dish towel and roll up tightly to extract excess water.

    Advertisement

  • Meanwhile, in a medium pot, bring tomatoes and garlic to a boil. Reduce heat and cook at a rapid simmer until thickened, 30 minutes.

  • In a shallow dish, combine breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Put flour and eggs in two more shallow dishes. Coat eggplant in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg, letting excess drip off. Coat with breadcrumbs.

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large straight-sided skillet, heat oil over medium-high (a few breadcrumbs should sizzle when added). In batches, fry eggplant until golden brown and tender, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet.

  • Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with half the eggplant, overlapping slices slightly, 2 cups sauce, and half the mozzarella. Repeat with remaining eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella, then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

  • Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is golden, about 30 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

Cook's Notes

Salting the eggplant is one key to making an ideal eggplant parm; salt draws out excess moisture to ensure the finished dish has a robust sauce.

Advertisement

Reviews (4)

40 Ratings
  • 5 13
  • 4 8
  • 3 12
  • 2 7
  • 1 0
Martha Stewart Member
11/19/2014
My husband & I really liked this. My eggplants were a bit brown inside, but I read online that if they are firm, they will cook fine. Also had trouble frying the eggplant slices, with a lot of burnt breading in the bottom of the pan, but I think that was user error (not much experience frying). Despite these things, the taste was great. Although the recipe doesn't call for it, I added salt and pepper to the tomato sauce. I used italian bread crumbs and didn't add any additional salt/pepper.
Martha Stewart Member
08/27/2013
I made this recipe over two nights, preparing and frying eggplant night 1 and completing the recipe night 2. It was absolutely fantastic, and actually not that complicated. I used use a little goat cheese in lieu of mozzarella between stacks, and topped it with the mozzarella instead. I also simplified the recipe by using previously made tomato sauce. This was fantastic!
Martha Stewart Member
05/13/2013
This recipe takes a while, but I have made it 3 times and each time it gets easier. I suggest using small eggplants because they have less seeds. You can fry the eggplant the day before and store in a container in the frig.if you need to save time. It's as good the 2nd day as it is the day cooked. This has become of favorite in our family!
Advertisement
Martha Stewart Member
01/25/2013
This dish is really good! I used just 1 eggplant that weighed about 1.5 lbs total. I must warn that it is LABOR INTENSIVE! It really takes about 2 hours to make, that is not an exaggeration. Chat on the phone w/ a good friend to help the time pass. :)
© Copyright 2022 Martha Stewart. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.marthastewart.com 07/01/2022