I love Eggplant Parmigiana, but I have been unhappy with my own recipe and with the many others I have tried. Thus, I studied almost every recipe on the internet so you don’t have to.
I selected those ideas that appealed to me, including my own, and put them together. A special thanks to America’s Test Kitchen for some great twists on this dish. I knew what I wanted from my Eggplant Parmigiana: A thick, non runny, rich, herby and flavorful sauce; eggplant that would not get soggy when it meets the sauce (I never understood the point of breading the eggplant because it doesn’t hold up to the other ingredients—that is, until this new trick was presented to me); removal of the heavy, gooey layer of mozzarella; and finally, a golden cheesy top.
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For the Sauce
Be sure to begin by making the sauce before you prep the eggplants. Chop the red onion and gently sauté it in the olive oil with the peperoncino (dried chili peppers) and the thyme until the onion is softened, but not browned.
Sauté the onion.
Mince the garlic, and add it to the onions, cooking for about 2 minutes, without burning the garlic.
Add the entire cans of whole and crushed tomatoes, including the liquid, plus the tomato paste. Crush down on the whole tomatoes until they are broken into small pieces.
Add the tomatoes.
I like to use Muti tomatoes because they are extremely red, ripe, and flavorful.
Add the chopped fresh basil and oregano. Fresh oregano gives a wonderfully enhanced flavor. If you can’t find fresh, use dried.
Add the herbs.
Stir in some sea salt to taste, along with a teaspoon of sugar. Simmer the sauce uncovered for about 40 minutes until thickened. Taste again to correct the seasonings, and set aside.
For the Eggplant
Place a rack in the upper part of the oven and preheat it to 425°.
Use 3 small eggplants, totaling about 2 1/2 pounds, for this dish. Smaller eggplants have few or no seeds in them and tend to be much less bitter. Select ones that are shiny and very firm fleshed.
Leaving the skin on, slice the eggplants vertically in less than 1/4-inch-thick steaks. There is no need to go through the salting and rinsing process.
Slice the eggplants.
Stack the slices for each eggplant.
Stack the slices.
Sift the flour onto one plate. Season the panko on a separate plate. Beat the eggs well in a shallow bowl. Dredge the eggplant slices on both sides, first in the flour.
Flour the slices.
Then dip them into the beaten eggs.
Dip in the beaten eggs.
Finally, dredge the slices in the seasoned panko, being certain the crumbs adhere. Press the crumbs lightly onto the slices.
In a large skillet heat about 1/4-inch-deep of vegetable oil until hot over medium-high heat. Brown the breaded eggplant slices on both sides until golden brown and crisp. This needs to be done in several batches, adding more oil as needed.
Fry the slices.
Place the browned slices on a large baking sheet.
Crisp the slices in the oven.
Bake the eggplant slices for 5-6 minutes. With your finger, test for crispness. This is the secret to keep them rather crispy, even after they’ve been sauced.
To Assemble the Eggplant Parmigiana
In a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan, spread a thick layer of the tomato sauce. Arrange a layer of the largest eggplant slices over the tomato sauce.
Place sauce and layer of slices in the pan.
Spread another generous layer of tomato sauce on top of those eggplant slices. Sprinkle some of the grated Parmigiano over the tomato sauce, then toss some basil and oregano on top of that.
Cover with cheese, sauce, and herbs.
Continue with another layer of eggplant, using the next largest slices. Again spread some of the tomato sauce, Parmigiano, and basil/oregano on top of those slices. Continue with a third layer, using the next largest slices of eggplant.
Continue this process until you’ve used up all of the eggplant. The smallest slices of eggplant should be on the top. The Eggplant Parmigiana should finish with about 6 neat and even stacks of eggplant. Spread tomato sauce and basil/oregano over the top level of eggplant slices, but no more Parmigiano. Do not skimp on the sauce. Use all of it or the dish tends to be a bit dry.
Grate the Fontina Val d’Aosta cheese on the coarse holes of your grater. This Northern Italian cheese adds a whole new dimension to the Eggplant Parmgiana. Do NOT substitute non Italian Fontina—it’s unforgivably dreary.
Grate the cheese.
Then spread the cheese over the whole top of the dish.
Top with cheese.
Bake at 425°, again at the upper level of the oven, for about 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Place the baking pan under a broiler for just 1 or 2 minutes to lightly brown the top layer of cheese. Check every few seconds because it can burn very easily.
To Serve
Allow the Eggplant Parmigiana to rest for 15-20 minutes.
Each person should receive one of the stacks of eggplant.
Serves 6.
