Easy Eggplant Parmesan Recipe (Nana's Baked Parmigiana)
Make Easy Eggplant Parmesan just like Nana used to! Cheesy, saucy, Italian fried eggplant is simple to prepare, no matter your skill level.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants sliced into 1/2” steaks
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- Extra virgin olive oil for frying
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 28 ounce 28-ounce can san marzano tomatoes (use potato masher to mash them up, or just used good crushed tomatoes)
- 1/2 can of water 14 ounce
- small handful basil leaves chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- 2 dried bay leaves
- pinch sugar takes the edge off the acidity
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to season sauce plus more for breading, see below
Breading
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese divided
- 1 cup freshly grated provolone
- 2 cups freshly grated mozzarella
Instructions
- Place a cooling rack on top of a sheet pan. Lay out eggplant slices on this rack or on a plate lined with paper towels. Sprinkle on both sides with kosher salt. Continue to layer salted eggplant slices with paper towels between each layer. Top with paper towels and place a sheet pan (or second plate) on top to add some weight. Set aside for at least 2 hours. After eggplant has set for 2 hours, remove the wet paper towels and pat each eggplant steak dry.
- Over medium heat, cook the onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic to the pan and cook 1-2 minutes longer.
- Add the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, 14 oz. water, basil, oregano, bay leaves, and sugar to the pan and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer sauce for 30-60 minutes.
- Meanwhile, set up a standard dredging station for breading the eggplant. Place 1 cup of flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a wide and shallow bowl. Whisk together the eggs and 1/3 cup water in a second shallow bowl. Combine panko crumbs and 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese in a third shallow bowl.
- Dip each slice of eggplant into the flour mixture, lightly coating both sides completely. Next, dip the coated slice into the egg mixture, and then into the breadcrumb mixture. Make sure the slice is fully coated in the crumb mixture. Set aside.
- Fill a large skillet with 1/2” of olive oil. Heat over medium. Fry the breaded eggplant slices in the oil until browned on each side (about 2 minutes on each side). Work in batches and place the fried eggplant on a few sheets of paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
- Mix together the remaining cup of parmesan cheese, the provolone cheese, and the mozzarella cheese in a bowl.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Scoop a ladle or two of the sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Arrange one layer of prepared eggplant over the sauce in the dish. Spread half of the remaining sauce over the eggplant.
- Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture over the sauce. Layer the remaining eggplant and sauce and top with the remaining 2 1/2 cups of cheese.
- Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and broil the top for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is browned and bubbly.
- Garnish with freshly chopped herbs.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 577cal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 167mg | Sodium: 6288mg | Sugar: 9g | Fiber: 5g | Calcium: 774mg | Iron: 5mg