Tomato Tomatoe

Healthier eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant parmigiana will forever remind me of my mom and grandma. I remember eating this at my grandma’s house when I was a kid, and she would make a small tray of it. I always devoured it in no time, and it was one of my favorite things that she made. My mom’s recipe is also to die for! My mother and grandma make their eggplant parmigiana by individually battering each slice of eggplant in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs. They fry each individual piece which can honestly take hours! I do love this version, but my recipe cuts down on time but not on flavor. When I travel to Italy, I always order eggplant parmigiana if it’s on the menu. Whenever I have it in Italy, the eggplant is not fried and I noticed in the Amalfi coast the eggplant parmigiana had a slight smokey flavor from the smoked mozzarella. I absolutely loved this version and will definitely try making it with smoked mozzarella.

The Italian American version of eggplant parmigiana involves battering the eggplant in egg and flour then frying each piece individually. It’s definitely an all-day process and by the time you clean up the oil and mess in the kitchen, you’re exhausted! I love my healthier baked eggplant parmigiana because it cuts the time in half yet still has all of the delicious elements of a traditional eggplant parmigiana. Adding the breadcrumbs is totally optional but I had some laying around, so I decided to throw them in. You can use homemade pomodoro sauce in this recipe or your favorite store-bought tomato sauce. Either will work great! I like making a quick tomato sauce by sautéing garlic and tomato paste and adding a can of good quality crushed tomatoes. It’s a simple sauce but it always turns out so delicious.

My mom always makes two trays at once (one to freeze and one for dinner). I love doing the same thing with this recipe too. You’ll be happy you made two! It’s always a nice surprise finding an eggplant parmigiana in the freezer for a night when you don’t feel like cooking.

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healthier eggplant parmesan

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
• 2 cups of homemade tomato sauce or a pomodoro sauce you prefer.
• 1/2 cup sourdough breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Slice the eggplant into rounds and assemble on a baking sheet. Brush both sides with olive oil and season with salt. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. The eggplant slices should be golden.
2. Assemble the eggplant by spooning a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange the eggplant in a single layer and spoon sauce on top, spreading it around ensuring that the eggplant is covered in sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella and parmigiano Reggiano. Repeat this process until there is no more eggplant. The top layer should have sauce, mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano.
3. Cover with foil and bake in the oven at 400 for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and let it bake for 10-15 minutes until the top is golden. Let it set for 10 minutes before serving.