Cheesy, tomatoey eggplant parm is classic Italian comfort food, as essential and delicious as lasagna or a bowl of pasta. While there’s a fair amount of debate about where the dish originated (scholars make arguments for Naples, Sicily, and Parma), we know that it has been cooked in essentially its current form since at least the 1830s. The layered casserole—made from fried breaded eggplant, mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce, and Parmesan cheese—makes an excellent vegetarian main with a light salad and garlic bread. It’s also a versatile side dish for a meatier centerpiece, like porchetta.
The key to eggplant parm success is to prepare sliced eggplant by salting it (to remove excess moisture and tame its bitterness) and then bread the slices and fry them carefully, without crowding the pan, until they’re crispy and golden brown. For this eggplant Parmesan recipe, we turn to panko breadcrumbs instead of the classic Italian breadcrumb mixture for an extra-crunchy texture. The marinara sauce also plays a huge role in this dish, adding much of the casserole’s depth and flavor, so make it from scratch if at all possible rather than using a store-bought version. Here, we purée fresh tomatoes and cook the resulting sauce with garlic and a heap of fresh basil, adding a combo of black pepper and red chile flakes to give the mixture a boost of warmth. Preparing these two elements properly takes a little time, but the result is well worth the effort, and both can be done ahead of time if you like.
Recipe information
Total Time
2 hours 30 minutes
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Toss eggplant with 2 tsp. kosher salt in a colander set over a bowl, then let drain 30 minutes.
Step 2
While eggplant drains, cut an X in bottom of each tomato with a sharp paring knife and blanch tomatoes together in a 5-quart pot of boiling water 1 minute. Transfer tomatoes with a slotted spoon to a cutting board and, when cool enough to handle, peel off skin, beginning from scored end, with paring knife.
Step 3
Coarsely chop tomatoes, then coarsely purée in batches in a blender. Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then add garlic and sauté, stirring, until golden, about 30 seconds. Add tomato purée, basil, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. pepper, and red pepper flakes and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 25 to 30 minutes.
Step 4
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
Step 5
Stir together flour, remaining ¼ tsp. kosher salt, and remaining ¼ tsp. pepper in a shallow bowl. Lightly beat eggs in a second shallow bowl, then stir together panko and ⅓ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano in a third shallow bowl.
Step 6
Working with 1 slice at a time, dredge eggplant in flour, shaking off excess, then dip in egg, letting excess drip off, and dredge in panko until evenly coated. Transfer eggplant to sheets of wax paper, arranging slices in 1 layer.
Step 7
Heat remaining 1½ cups oil in a deep 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then fry eggplant 4 slices at a time, turning over once, until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes per batch. Transfer with tongs to paper towels to drain.
Step 8
Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in bottom of a rectangular 3½-quart (13- by 11- by 2-inch) baking dish. Arrange about one-third of eggplant slices in 1 layer over sauce, overlapping slightly if necessary. Cover the layer of eggplant with about one-third of remaining sauce (about 1¼ cups) and one-third of mozzarella. Continue layering with remaining eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella. Sprinkle top with remaining ⅓ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Step 9
Bake, uncovered, until cheese is melted and golden and sauce is bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes.
Do Ahead: Tomato sauce can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
Editor’s note: This recipe was originally printed in the August 2004 issue of ‘Gourmet.’ Head this way for more of our comfort food favorites →
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Reviews (215)
Back to TopI have an easier and less time consuming method for this recipe, use a plastic container with a tight lid. 1) cut the eggplant rounds in quarters and place them in the plastic container. 2) add the egg and shake for 15 - 20 seconds 3) add the flour and repeat 4) add the bread crumbs and repeat 5) don't bother with frying, spread the eggplant and don't worry about purty 6) bake for an extra 10 minutes
david
Mexico
11/30/2023
This was terrific, but definitely time consuming (and I used a jar sauce! -Rao’s). Not a week night meal unless you want to eat at 10pm. I added a little extra shredded mozzarella to the final layer to fill in some gaps but no other changes. It was excellent, not greasy or watery or heavy like it can be sometimes in restaurants. Really very good!
catherine31
NY
1/20/2020
It is not every dish that one can savor with each mouthful but this is one of them. A definite keeper that I make once or twice a year, and then try to keep as leftovers as long as possible. Just yummy.
gsotir
Portland, OR
11/27/2018
The estimated times are definitely off. Unless you have a few helping hands, this takes closer to 3 hours of prep time. Just the dredging and coating alone takes more than half an hour. Then the frying, the from scratch sauce(which was totally worth it and delicious), and assembly and it's all of the sudden an hour past dinner time and I'm just putting it in the oven. This wasn't my first time either, so I think I moved pretty quickly and efficiently though the steps. For the amount of time this takes, when weighed with flavor and quality of the finished product, I give it just two forks. Some considerations: I used fresh from the garden young and small eggplants, which don't require the salting and draining. I wish there would have been more sauce, if not to bake into the dish then just as a side for serving because it was a bit dry and the sauce was very flavorful. Only four large eggs were needed.
Ambertia
Richmond, VA
8/1/2017
I used the Classico sauce I always use, but added basil, oregano and garlic from the garden, amped up the flavor with those fresh ingredients. When I go to a restaurant and order this dish, if the dinner comes out swimming in sauce and the eggplant limp instead of crispy, I don't go there again. I used the eggplant single slice in a larger pan.
Dr. Ruth
SE Pennsylvania
5/30/2017
this is delicious, but 2 hours to get it to the oven. Phew! But I will make it again, it was that good. Great for vegetarian guests.
jennifer_gust
British Columbia
10/29/2016
Very good! I did NOT salt the eggplant just sliced, breaded and fried. It was fine. Maybe because they are in season right now? Also I used Rao's jarred marianara sauce. Sometimes I make my own sauce and yes it's better but didn't feel like peeling tomatoes today. Also tore up basil leaves and sprinkled over the layers. Time consuming but not as much if you take these shortcuts. Served with spaghetti and salad. I did not want to give a fork rating but had to in order to review the recipe.
xmatch
Charleston, WV
9/26/2016
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