Serves a Crowd

Eggplant Parmesan

by:
September 17, 2014
3
7 Ratings
Eggplant Parmesan
  • Serves 8 to 10
Author Notes

This is a long-time favorite recipe from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. What I love about this recipe is that there is no standing over the stove frying the eggplant in seemingly never-ending batches. This step is eliminated by baking the breaded eggplant slices on preheated baking sheets. The eggplant emerge from this step crispy and golden and are irresistible. Sometimes I stop here, pile the rounds on a platter and pass the Marcella Hazan tomato sauce on the side along with some slices of fresh mozzarella. But completing the assembly process is rewarding, too, namely that the finished eggplant parmesan feeds a crowd and is completely comforting in the way that so many bubbling, cheesy, layered casseroles are. Like all eggplant parmesan recipes, this one is a labor of love -- salting the eggplant, drying and breading it take time. And if you make homemade sauce and breadcrumbs, well, set aside a good chunk of time before you plan on serving this. That said, sauce and breadcrumbs can be made days in advance. Cheese can be grated ahead of time, too. —Alexandra Stafford

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 globe eggplants, about 2 pounds total, sliced into 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick rounds
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 cup flour
  • Pepper
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 cups dried breadcrumbs, preferably homemade, or panko works well too
  • 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 cups tomato sauce, preferably homemade
  • 8 ounces mozzarella, grated, to yield 2 cups
  • Fresh basil (optional)
Directions
  1. In a large bowl, toss the eggplant with 1 teaspoon plus another large pinch of salt. Transfer to two colanders set in the sink and let the eggplant drain for about 40 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions, place a rimmed baking sheet on each rack, and heat oven to 425° F. Combine the flour and about 1 teaspoon pepper in a large ziplock bag and shake to combine. Beat the eggs in a shallow dish. Combine the breadcrumbs, 1 cup of the Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a second shallow dish. (Alternatively, you can season the eggplant rounds once they are breaded with salt and pepper to taste.)
  3. Spread the drained eggplant over paper towels. Press firmly on each slice to remove as much liquid as possible. Working with about 8 eggplant slices at a time, place them in the bag with the flour, seal, and shake until thoroughly coated. Remove the eggplant, shaking off any excess flour, and dip it into the eggs. Remove the eggplant from the eggs, allowing any excess egg to drip off, and coat evenly with the breadcrumbs, pressing them to adhere. Lay the breaded eggplant on a wire rack. Flour, dip in egg, and coat the remaining eggplant in breadcrumbs in the same manner.
  4. Remove the preheated baking sheets from the oven. Pour 3 tablespoons oil onto each sheet, tilting to coat the sheets evenly. Spread the breaded eggplant in a single layer over the hot sheets. Bake until the eggplant is well browned and crisp on the first side, about 15 to 20 minutes. Flip the eggplant slices over. Switch and rotate the baking sheets, and bake until the second side is brown, about another 10 minutes. Do not turn off the oven.
  5. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Shingle half of the eggplant slices over the tomato sauce. Distribute 1 more cup of the sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with half of the mozzarella. Shingle the remaining eggplant in the dish and dot with another cup of the sauce, leaving the majority of the eggplant exposed so that it will remain crisp. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and the remaining cup of mozzarella.
  6. Place the dish on the lower-middle rack of the oven. Bake until the cheese is bubbling and well browned, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the basil (if using) over the top and cool for 10 minutes before serving. Pass the remaining cup of sauce and 1/4 cup Parmesan on the side.
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  • Alexandra Stafford
    Alexandra Stafford
  • jomarie
    jomarie
  • Janie
    Janie
  • Julie McGoldrick
    Julie McGoldrick
Alexandra Stafford
I write the blog alexandra's kitchen, a place for mostly simple, sometimes fussy, and always seasonal recipes. My cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs is available everywhere books are sold.

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11 Reviews

jomarie
jomarie October 20, 2014
This is very similar to how my grandmother did eggplant. Her's was a bit simplified, just after the second side baked she would spread some sauce (homemade) on the top of each piece, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a few torn bits of fresh basil and pop it back in the oven for a few more minutes. My favorite way to eat this is between two pieces of home made Italian bread. But I do think I will try this too because it does look good and worth the extra effort.
 
Alexandra S.
Alexandra S. October 20, 2014
Yum! That sounds so good. I love a good eggplant parm on good Italian bread. I have been dying to try an eggplant parm with no breading at all...next summer :)
 
jomarie
jomarie October 20, 2014
That's comfort food to this Sicilian heart :)
 
Janie
Janie October 11, 2014
You don't soak the potatoes in hot water, but boil them for about 5/6 mins, drain them then toss them about the colander, fluffing the outside... then roast them... Sitting in hot water won't do a thing apart from making the outside sticky...
 
Julie M.
Julie M. September 29, 2014
This was wonderful! I accidentally made less tomato sauce than I meant to, so I made a small casserole, and then we've been snacking on the leftover crispy eggplant ever since. It was even lighter than I had hoped--really delicious taste and texture. Thanks for a great recipe and technique.
 
Alexandra S.
Alexandra S. October 20, 2014
So happy to hear this, Julie! Aren't the leftover crispy eggplant the best? I find them addictive. So happy you liked the recipe/technique.
 
Lauren S.
Lauren S. September 22, 2014
I've been making this recipe for years, and it's the best! Thanks for sharing it with a wider audience.
 
Alexandra S.
Alexandra S. September 23, 2014
A neighbor of mine when I was living in CA told me about that recipe, and I've been making it ever since. There are so many gems in that book. I've been making the oven-fry recipe, which calls for soaking the potatoes in hot water for ten minutes before roasting them — it's a simple trick but it really helps get them nice and crispy.
 
Sylvie B.
Sylvie B. September 29, 2014
Soaking the potatoes or tomatoes, i'm not sure if i'm reading the parmesan eggplant recipe comment.
 
Alexandra S.
Alexandra S. September 29, 2014
Hi Sylvie, I got a little off topic in my comment. I was just noting that I love the oven-fry recipe in that same Cook's Illustrated cookbook. Their trick for crispy oven fries is to soak the potatoes in hot water before roasting them. But in this eggplant parm recipe, there are no potatoes, and there is no soaking of tomatoes either. Hope that makes sense. Sorry for the confusin!
 
Alexandra S.
Alexandra S. September 29, 2014
confusion*