A Lighter Eggplant Parmigiana

I love eggplant parmigiana, and with eggplants being in abundance this time of year, I’ve found myself absolutely craving the dish. However, I wanted a simpler preparation, something that didn’t require the time it takes for salting, draining, and pressing the moisture out of the eggplant slices, then breading and frying. It could be because it’s still summer, but I wanted something a little lighter without sacrificing those amazing flavors. I thought that baking the eggplant instead of frying it might prove to be a good place to start.

So, I did what we all do when we’re looking for the perfect answer to our cravings: I scouted the internet. Well, I can tell you, I’m certainly not the first person to consider baking my eggplant parmigiana, that’s for sure! I played about with a number of different ideas and approaches and finally came up with something that my husband and I really enjoy. At about 15 minutes, prep time is super-quick. Your oven finishes nearly everything else for you and the result is not only delicious, but it looks amazing! As an added bonus, leftovers keep well in the fridge and reheat beautifully.

I like to use 2-2.5 pounds of eggplant. For today’s purposes, I’ll be using two eggplants, each about one pound. But you may use whatever size eggplants you wish. Whatever you decide, you’ll want to use eggplants of similar size, so they bake in the same amount of time. Smaller eggplants, while harder to find, would make for wonderful individual servings and are definitely worth considering. You may need to adjust your baking time down a little, but that’s easy enough to regulate. By like token, if you choose to bake one large 2-2.5 pound eggplant, you may need to adjust your baking time up just a bit.

Ingredients for eggplant parmigiana are notoriously simple and this recipe is no exception: eggplant, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and tomato sauce. I do not recommend buying pre-shredded cheeses here. Pre-shredded cheeses contain additives to absorb moisture and to keep the shredded pieces from sticking together. These additives can affect how well the cheese melts into whatever you’re preparing. Considering that we’re looking for melty goodness here, preparing the cheeses yourself will give you that nice creamy melt that’s so incredibly tempting about eggplant parmigiana.

Another point is that I recommend using good Parmesan cheese. We always have Parmigiano-Reggiano on hand, so I’m partial to that and it’s what I use here. Even though it can be a pricier alternative, you’re only using 2 oz in this recipe. The intensity it offers has that “bang” factor that amps up the umami flavor in the dish. All that said, don’t let using a domestic parmesan keep you from making this dish – it will still turn out deliciously!

I’d also like to mention that you can “make this recipe your own” in a few ways. Do you want it extra-spicy? Try substituting crushed red pepper for some of the black pepper. Do you want it more (or less) gooey and stretchy? Try using a bit more (or less) mozzarella than the recipe calls for. Do you love the intensity of the parmesan? Add more, to your taste. Don’t have any fresh basil on hand for garnish? Use another fresh herb, such as thyme, parsley, marjoram, or mint. (Or just skip the garnish entirely!)

Baked Eggplant Parmigiana

Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour (Note you can use this cook time to cut/shred your cheeses to help cut down initial prep time)

Inactive time: 5 minutes to let the finished dish sit before serving

2-2.5 pounds eggplant (I’m using 2 eggplants, each about 1 pound)

Extra virgin olive oil, for brushing (I like to pour some into a small bowl to dip my brush into)

28 oz canned crushed tomatoes

Kosher salt & black pepper for seasoning

2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed

2 teaspoons dried oregano

9 oz mozzarella, cubed or shredded (I prefer cubed. Either way, this is most easily done with the mozzarella very cold, straight from the fridge.)

2 oz grated parmesan (I like using Parmigiano-Reggiano.)

Handful of Panko breadcrumbs

Handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 400⁰F.

2. Using a 13”x9” baking dish, stir together the crushed tomatoes, garlic, and dried oregano directly in the bottom of the dish. Lightly season with salt & pepper, keeping in mind that you will also be seasoning the eggplant. Set aside.

3. Trim the tops off the eggplants, just below the stem at the top. Discard the tops.

4. Make deep slits cross-wise in each eggplant, about 1/2” apart. Do not slice all the way through the eggplant. The slits should stop about 1/2” from the bottom of the eggplant.

5. Place the slit eggplants on top of the sauce in your baking dish. Using your fingers to gently spread each piece of eggplant apart, brush olive oil on both sides of each piece. Season each inside each slit with a bit of salt and pepper.

6. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for about 45-50 minutes. The eggplants should be soft, but still sturdy enough to be able to manipulate the eggplant pieces without them falling apart. Remove the foil – you will not need it again.

7. Using a spatula to hold back each of the hot eggplant slices, place mozzarella into each slit. My preference for using cubed mozzarella instead of shredded is because I like the way the mozzarella seems to “pool” more as it melts when cubed – but this is purely personal preference. Note that if a bit of mozzarella – cubed or shredded - escapes the eggplant, it’s not the end of the world!

8. Spoon some of the tomato sauce from the baking dish over the tops of the mozzarella-stuffed eggplants. Smooth remaining sauce evenly across the bottom of the baking dish.

9. Scoop the Parmigiano-Reggiano/parmesan on top of the eggplants and finish off with a sprinkling of panko.

10. Return the dish to the oven – uncovered – and cook for about 10 more minutes. When the breadcrumbs are a light golden brown, the cheeses have melted, and the sauce is bubbling, it’s ready to come out.

11. Remove the dish from the oven and let stand for about 5 minutes. Scatter with chopped basil before serving.

Ah… craving satisfied!

We love this dish with just a green salad on the side. Because the eggplant is so tender, you can easily cut between the slices, right through to the bottom. Slicing at least three or four slices all together for a serving, as opposed to slicing each piece individually, makes for a pretty individual presentation. Spoon some sauce into a pasta bowl, then place the eggplant on top. Feel free to spoon extra sauce over the top, as my husband likes to do! And if you prefer a heartier version, you can always serve it over orzo, angel hair or other pasta. No matter how you decide to serve it, I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do!

If you love Italian and other Mediterranean flavors, take a look at the class calendar for September. We have a Pasta Workshop, a Gluten-Free Taste of the Mediterranean, and Mediterranean Boot Camp coming up and they promise to be a lot of delicious fun!