Eggplant parmigiana, also called eggplant parmigiana, is a tasty and simple dish to prepare. It vaguely resembles lasagna except that, instead of pasta, layers of eggplant, cheese and tomato sauce alternate; everything is baked in the oven inside a baking dish. You can choose whether to fry or bake the eggplant, as well as whether to choose a traditional or modern recipe. In any case, you will prepare a great meal.
Ingrediants
Traditional Eggplant Parmigiana
- 2 medium eggplants
- 250 g of finely sliced mortadella
- 1 liter of tomato sauce
- 500 g of fresh mozzarella, half sliced and half cut into cubes
- 300 g of grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 medium-sized onion, chopped
- Salt and Pepper To Taste.
- 60 ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 480 ml of olive oil
- 4 eggs
- 500 g of flour
- 4 finely chopped garlic cloves
- 15 g of mint
- 240 ml of water
Baked Eggplant Parmigiana
- 2 large eggplants
- 5 g of whole salt
- 1 clove of minced garlic
- 1 jar of 780 g of peeled tomatoes
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 230 g of breadcrumbs
- 150 g of grated Parmesan, divided into three portions
- 100 g of flour
- 4 eggs
- 60 ml of olive oil, in addition to what is needed to grease the pan
- 750 g of fresh mozzarella cut into 6 mm thick slices
Fried Parmigiana with Ricotta
- 80 ml of extra virgin olive oil, in addition to what is needed to fry the aubergines
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- 80 g of chopped black olives
- 5 g of red chilli flakes
- 15 g of drained capers
- 2 cans of peeled tomatoes of 780 g
- 50 g of fresh basil leaves
- Whole salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 600 g of breadcrumbs
- 15 g of garlic powder
- 15 g of dried oregano
- 5 eggs
- 130 g of flour 00
- 4 medium eggplants
- 1 kg of cottage cheese
- 160 g of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 kg of chopped mozzarella
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Traditional Eggplant Parmigiana
Step 1. Preheat the oven
Before you start cooking the tomato sauce, turn on the oven to 205 ° C.
Step 2. Make the tomato sauce
In a saucepan, pour 60 ml of extra virgin olive oil and the chopped onion. Cook the onion until it becomes translucent. Add the tomato sauce and mix. Cook for 15 minutes on low heat. Remove the pan from the stove and set it aside.
Step 3. Prepare the batter
It is a very liquid mixture that is used to cover the aubergines. In a bowl, beat 4 eggs, add the flour, 75 g of grated Parmesan cheese, minced garlic and mint. Mix carefully, add the water and keep the dough moving.
- If you have the impression that the batter is too thick, you can add more water. The consistency should be similar to that of the pancake mix.
- If you overdid it with water, add more flour to thicken the mixture.
Step 4. Prepare the eggplant
Peel each vegetable and cut it lengthwise into strips. Each slice should be about 6mm thick.
Step 5. Cook the eggplant
Dip each slice into the batter, taking care to cover it perfectly. However, avoid that the batter layer is excessive. The aubergines must be well covered but not soaked. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Fry all battered slices until golden brown. Remove them from the oil and place them on a plate covered with kitchen paper. Dab it with other paper to remove excess grease.
Step 6. Arrange the ingredients in layers
Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with a generous helping of tomato sauce you left aside earlier. Form a layer of eggplant on top of the sauce, completely coating the base of the pan. Add more tomato sauce over each slice of vegetables; sprinkle 70 g of Parmesan cheese. Immediately after, arrange 125 g of mozzarella cubes. Finally cover everything with a layer of mortadella. Repeat the process until you have finished all the eggplant slices.
- If you don't particularly like mortadella, you can replace it with cooked ham or with sliced turkey. If you want a vegetarian version of Parmesan, avoid this ingredient.
- The amount of eggplant indicated in this article is enough to create three layers.
Step 7. Finish the top layer
Add a generous amount of tomato sauce at the end. Sprinkle it with the remaining grated Parmesan (about 140 g) and arrange the last slices of mozzarella.
Step 8. Place the dish in the oven
Cook the Parmesan for 30 minutes or until the cheese has completely melted and turned golden. Remove the pan from the oven and wait for the dish to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Method 2 of 3: Baked Eggplant Parmigiana
Step 1. Make the sauce
Heat 15ml of olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add the minced garlic and cook it for about a minute. Add the tomatoes and their juices to the pan. Raise the heat and bring everything to a boil. Finally lower the heat again and let the sauce simmer for 15 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste. Remove the sauce from the heat and add the chopped basil.
Step 2. Cut the eggplant
Wash and dry them, then cut them into round slices, about 6-12 mm thick.
Step 3. Preheat the oven
Before cooking the aubergines, you need to turn on the oven and set it to 220 ° C. Grease the bottom of two baking sheets with 15ml of olive oil. Leave them aside for now.
Step 4. Prepare the ingredients to dip the eggplant slices into
In a shallow bowl or pan, mix the breadcrumbs with 30g of Parmesan. In another dish put the flour. In a third dish, beat the eggs. You should arrange the containers in this order: first the flour one, then the egg one and finally the one with the parmesan and breadcrumbs.
The dishes should be low enough that you can dip the eggplant in without difficulty
Step 5. Bread the eggplant
Dip a slice in the flour, covering both sides. Then dip it in the beaten eggs, wetting it completely. Finally, put the aubergine in the breadcrumbs mixture, cover it carefully and place it in an oven pan. Repeat the process for all the eggplant slices.
Step 6. Bake the vegetables
Add a drizzle of oil to their surface and cook them in a hot oven for 18-20 minutes. Halfway through cooking, turn the slices. Wait for them to turn golden.
- When you take the eggplants out of the oven, allow them to cool to the point where you can touch them with your bare hands.
- Lower the oven temperature to 175 ° C.
Step 7. Arrange the ingredients in layers
Spread 125ml of tomato sauce on the bottom of a 22.5x32.5cm baking dish. Compose a first layer of eggplant using 1/3 of those available. Add half of the mozzarella on top of the aubergines and sprinkle with 50 g of Parmesan cheese.
- Add another third of eggplant. Pour 250 ml of tomato sauce over the vegetables and add the rest of the mozzarella over the sauce. Also this time sprinkle with 50 g of Parmesan cheese.
- Arrange the remaining eggplants. Cover them with the sauce and 50 g of Parmesan.
Step 8. Place the dish in the oven
Cook the Parmesan for 35 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted. Wait 10 minutes before serving.
Method 3 of 3: Fried Parmigiana with Ricotta
Step 1. Prepare the tomato sauce
Add olive oil to a large pot and put it on the stove over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook it for a minute. Incorporate the olives, chilli and capers and brown them for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomatoes and their juices, stirring. Bring the sauce to a boil and add 50 g of fresh basil. Season with salt and pepper, then let it simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside for the time being.
If you prefer a less spicy sauce, omit the chili
Step 2. Cut the eggplant
After washing and drying them, remove the ends. Finally, slice each vegetable vertically, creating strips just over a centimeter thick.
Step 3. Prepare the breading
In a shallow dish put the flour. Beat three eggs in a second dish. In a third container, combine the breadcrumbs with oregano and garlic powder. In each dish add salt and pepper according to your taste. Arrange the aubergines and the three plates by the stove.
Place the dishes in the order in which you prepared them, with the aubergines first of the flour, then the eggs and finally the breadcrumbs
Step 4. Fry the eggplant
Pour the olive oil into a high-sided pan until you have a layer about 6 mm thick. Heat the oil over medium heat. Take a slice of eggplant, dip it first in the flour so that it is well coated. Then wet it completely in the egg and finally pass it back in the breadcrumbs. Put the slice in boiling oil and repeat the procedure until you have filled the pan. When the aubergines are golden on both sides, remove them from the oil and place them on kitchen paper to remove excess grease. Repeat this step until you have fried all the vegetables.
If, during frying, you run out of oil in the pan, add more
Step 5. Make the ricotta mixture
Combine it with 80 g of Parmesan, 50 g of basil, two eggs, salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine all the ingredients.
Step 6. Preheat the oven
Before placing the layers in the pan, you need to grease it with butter and heat the oven to 175 ° C.
Step 7. Prepare the parmigiana
On the bottom of the pan spread a generous spoonful of tomato sauce. Arrange a layer of eggplant and then spread half of the ricotta mixture. Add more tomato sauce and sprinkle the latter with 1/3 of the mozzarella. Start over with the aubergines and the rest of the ricotta; add the tomato sauce, 1/3 of mozzarella. Finish with another layer of vegetables, tomato and mozzarella. Cover everything with the remaining Parmesan.
Step 8. Place the pan in the oven
Cook the parmigiana for an hour or until the surface appears golden. Wait for it to cool for 20 minutes before serving.
Advice
- To eliminate the bitter aftertaste typical of aubergines, you have to let them drain the water. After cutting them into slices, cover them on both sides with salt. Place them on kitchen paper for 30 minutes, up to 2 hours. The salt will extract the moisture from the vegetables. Blot it with other absorbent paper to remove the water, the bitter taste will come out with the liquids.
- If you do not want to prepare the sauce, in all the recipes you can use the ready-made commercial one.
