Eggplant Parmigiana

Prep 1 hr 5 min
Total 1 hr 40 min
Servings 6

Pinterest

0

There's no mystery to this dish - the secret is a combination of fresh, young, tender eggplant and a moist cooking technique. When the dish is cooked, it should be bubbly and the eggplant will still be slightly firm but can be easily pierced with a fork.

Ingredients

1 egg
2 tbsp (25 mL) water
2/3 cup (150 mL) seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup (75 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
2 small unpeeled eggplants (about 1 lb/500 g each), cut into 1/4 inch (6mm) slices
1/4 cup (50 mL) olive or vegetable oil
2 cups (500 mL) tomato pasta sauce
2 cups (500 mL) shredded mozzarella cheese

Steps

Hide Images

1

Heat oven to 350ºF. In shallow dish, mix egg and water. In another shallow dish, mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Dip eggplant in egg mixture; coat with crumb mixture.
2

In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 2 tbsp of the oil over medium heat. Cook half of the eggplant in oil about 5 minutes, turning once, until light golden brown; drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining oil and eggplant, using additional oil if necessary.
3

In ungreased 11x7-inch (2 quart/2 L) glass baking dish, place half of the eggplant, overlapping slices slightly. Spoon half of the sauce over eggplant. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat with remaining eggplant, sauce and cheese.
4

Bake uncovered about 25 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is light brown.

KEYS TO SUCCESS: Coat eggplant right before cooking so the crumb coating stays crispy, as moisture from eggplant slices can soften the coating.
Cook eggplant slices one half at a time to avoid overcrowding in pan. This also helps to keep the coating crispy.
Add more oil to pan, if necessary, to ensure remaining eggplant gets a light golden-brown crust.
Cook eggplant in skillet just before layering the parmigiana so it stays crisp from frying.