I’ll just come out and say it: eggplant parm is the best of all the parms. No discussion here – sorry chicken parm fanatics – it just doesn’t compare!
I’ve always loved eggplant parm. Something about the fried eggplant, layered like lasagna with sauce and cheese…it’s just so comforting and so damn good. Anything breaded is somewhat tedious, no one is arguing that. You have the breading process, and then the frying process. But it’s soooo worth it!
Is it biased if I say that my eggplant is the best? I think the trick is to take the time to build each layer. Start with good ingredients and you’ll end up with a great result!
First you bread the eggplant – standard breading minus the flour: egg, seasoned breadcrumbs.
2 medium-large eggplants 
1/4 ” thick slices are best – but don’t get caught up on perfection! 
Breading Station 
Finished product!
Next up: frying! My favorite thing to use to fry is my cast iron skillet. It ensures that everything fries evenly, and it’s not so deep that things are hard to flip. Since we are frying a lot of eggplant, you may need to add more oil half way. Eggplant in particular soaks up oil like a sponge. For this reason, you want to make sure you let the excess oil drop off from the eggplant before placing it on the paper towel-lined baking sheet. I like to use corn oil while frying anything (cutlets, shrimp), because it has a high smoke point, and I feel like it makes everything extra crispy. You can also use canola or vegetable oil.
One thing I love about eggplant parm, you can fry the eggplant earlier on in the day, even the day before, to save time. And then assemble as you normally would. You start with a 9×13 pyrex dish. Pour a little sauce on the bottom, to ensure the eggplant doesn’t stick. You then do a layer of eggplant, more sauce, sprinkling of pecorino, and a healthy layer of shredded mozz. That’s it! And repeat. Depending how big your eggplant are, you will either get 3 or 4 layers.
The final piece is baking it. It will take about 40 minutes, covered at 400 degrees. After that, I like to take the aluminum off, crank up the oven to 450 degrees, and bake it another 20 minutes. Anything that has a cheesy top, I like to make sure it gets that beautiful brown color to it either by broiling it for a few minutes, or upping the oven and leaving it a few extra minutes. Another little trick to anything baked is to let it sit for about 10 minutes before cutting into it. I know!! It’s going to be hard, but it will help in cutting into pieces.
Sprinkle some extra Pecorino and hot pepper, and serve some extra sauce on the side. A light salad completes this perfect meal, and if you’re feeling it…a glass of red wine 🙂
Eggplant Parm
Equipment
- 9×13 Pyrex or Aluminum Pan
Ingredients
- 2 medium/large eggplants
- 3 cups of seasoned breadcrumbs
- 3 eggs scrambled
- 3 Tablespoons of water
- ¾ cup of Pecorino or Parmesan
- 4 cups of your favorite tomato sauce
- 2 ½ cups of shredded mozzarella
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- Salt and Pepper
- Oil for frying I like to use corn oil
Instructions
- Set up your breading station – using 2 shallow containers, pour breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup of Pecorino or Parmesan in one, and the eggs and water in another. Season each container with salt and pepper.
- Wash and dry the eggplant. Cut each one into about 1/4” thick pieces, but do not worry – they don’t need to be perfect! Once they’re all cut, dip them in the egg mixture first, and then the seasoned breadcrumbs, pressing the breadcrumbs into the eggplant making sure they’re fully coated.
- Once the eggplant are breaded, start frying. Pour your oil, about an inch deep, into your shallow pot or pan (I like to use a cast iron skillet). Since we are frying so many pieces and the eggplant soaks up a lot of oil, you may have to add more oil half way. When they’re golden brown and fried, lay them on a baking sheet lined with paper towels, and paper towels in-between layers.
- Time to build! Get your shredded mozzarella (add your oregano to it, and mix until it’s incorporated), sauce and 1/4 cup of Pecorino or Parmesan in an assembly line. In a 9×13 pyrex or aluminum pan, pour a little sauce first, to ensure the eggplant doesn’t stick. Make a layer of eggplant, some sauce (as little as much as you want, I like to at least touch each piece of eggplant with sauce), a sprinkling of pecorino, and a healthy layer of mozzarella. Repeat! You should have at least 3 layers, maybe 4 depending on how big your eggplant was. I like to drizzle a little sauce as the last thing, as well as a little olive oil (to help the aluminum foil not stick, and to ensure you get that nice crunchy top!). Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Once the oven is at temperature, bake the eggplant for about 40 minutes. Carefully take the eggplant out of the oven, remove the aluminum foil, and turn up the oven to 450 degrees. Return the eggplant to the oven and cook another 20 minutes so the top gets nice and crunchy. Once the cheese is at your preferred crunchy level, take it out and let it sit at least 10 minutes (I know, it’ll be hard!) But will make the cutting much easier. Serve with the remaining sauce, sprinkle some more Pecorino or Parmesan on top, some hot pepper, and Buon appetito!
