| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 45 min |
| Prep: | 1 hr 35 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 45 min |
| Prep: | 1 hr 35 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 small onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, grated
- Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- One 28-ounce can plus one 15-ounce can whole San Marzano plum tomatoes
- 1 medium eggplant (about 1 1/4 pounds), sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- Freshly ground pepper
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 cups Italian-style breadcrumbs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- Vegetable oil, for frying (1 1/2 to 2 cups)
- 12 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce)
- 2 cups grated provolone cheese (about 8 ounces)
- Handful of fresh basil leaves, torn
Instructions
- Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and season with salt and the red pepper flakes; cook until the onions are soft and translucent, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the sugar and tomatoes and break up some of the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring from time to time, until the tomatoes are fairly broken down, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Let cool.
- Prepare the eggplant: Put the eggplant rounds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt on both sides and let sit, about 1 hour. Rinse the eggplant with cold water and dry thoroughly with a kitchen towel. (Salting the eggplant draws out the liquid and bitter flavor, but it’s optional: Skip this step if you don’t have time.)
- Put the flour in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk and season with salt and pepper. In a third bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, oregano and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Dredge each eggplant slice in the flour and shake off any excess. Dip in the egg mixture and finally in the breadcrumbs, coating both sides. Lay the eggplant slices on baking sheets in a single layer.
- Heat about 1/2 inch vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke lightly (between 380 degrees F and 400 degrees F). Using tongs, add a single layer of eggplant to the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and season lightly with salt. Repeat until all of the eggplant is fried.
- Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spoon about one-quarter of the tomato sauce into a 9-by-13-inch flameproof baking dish. Top with a layer of the fried eggplant, overlapping the slices slightly. Top with about one-quarter of the mozzarella, then sprinkle with about one-third each of the parmesan, provolone and basil. Repeat the layering 2 more times (sauce, eggplant, cheese, basil), then finish with the remaining sauce and mozzarella. Press the layers firmly into the dish. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes. For an extra-brown top, put the dish under the broiler for a minute or two just before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 1225 |
| Total Fat | 100 g |
| Saturated Fat | 22 g |
| Carbohydrates | 50 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Sugar | 14 g |
| Protein | 35 g |
| Cholesterol | 173 mg |
| Sodium | 1315 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 1225 |
| Total Fat | 100 g |
| Saturated Fat | 22 g |
| Carbohydrates | 50 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Sugar | 14 g |
| Protein | 35 g |
| Cholesterol | 173 mg |
| Sodium | 1315 mg |
Reviews
Best eggplant parm I’ve ever eaten. Definitely a dinner project, as far and time and steps and cleanup go, but great for a big family dinner.
I never thought I liked Eggplant Parmesan of course, I had only tried the Costco version. This recipe is amazing! I did what the other reviewers suggested (1 tbsp sugar and less red pepper flakes) and it was so tasty and good. My husband loved it. Now I need to make it for my Mother-in-law which is the true test (if it’s not how her Mom made it, it’s no good!! Hahaha! It’s OK I know the truth!
Love this I think this was a great
I’m never really in the mood for Italian food and I also have a hard time of thinking of dinner without meat but we tried this and I’m so happy we did. Easily one of my favorite recipes I’ve tried on here.
I will never believe this and no one will believe me. I wrote two reviews on the recipe this morning and now the recipe has changed. This beyond anything I can imagine. 1 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes is still too much. 1/4 tsp would work. You do need the table spoon of sugar. 1 1/2 tsp is not enough. My husband collects hot sauce from all over the world and this is his words. He knows. Our guests last night could not eat it and all I used was 1/2 tsp of the red pepper flakes.
I gave this ‘only’ four stars, because of the prep and clean-up time. It was delicious and on balance, even though it is a LOT of work, it is well worth the effort. I did not ‘fry’ the breaded eggplant, per se, but sautéed it in olive oil and a bit of butter. I also used prepared sauce, but other than that, I followed the recipe. Probably the best eggplant parmigiana I have ever had!
Needed way more sauce or less cheese (next time I’ll use 2-28oz cans of tomatoes) One eggplant yielded about 15 1/2″ slices which I couldn’t overlap in a 9×13 pan and barely filled it. Seems like might be easier to omit onions and red pepper and just use rotel. Flavor delicious just think ratios need tweaking according to taste
Perfect if you’re comfortable with a little frying. It really is delicious.
i made this because i really wanted to try egg plant , hmmm kinda reminds me of fried pickles, it came out salty. Its not a dish that you can save for left overs.
i wish it was something fresher i didn’t really enjoy the taste of the deep fried texture. Maybe it wasn’t what i was looking for . just not my taste. the deep fried doesn’t allow you to try the eggplant.
im a huge fan of her recipes thou ! i hope she comes out with a healthier version for eggplant recipe
This is by far the very best Eggplant Parmigiana recipe that I have ever made. I give it 5 STARS without hesitation. I have made it many times and it always comes out perfect. It is well worth the effort. Thanks, Alex, for this recipe.