WANT TO MAKE MY CHEESY BAKED EGGPLANT PARMESAN?
Then let’s get to it! I just LOVE eggplant! And when you top it with tomato sauce and LOTS of mozzarella and grated Italian cheese, oh my! And when you can just bake it so you don’t have to heat oil on your stovetop and fry it up first, I’m all in!
Now, when my father made eggplant cutlet (as we called it), it was sublime! He knew how thin to slice it, breaded it perfectly, and masterfully fried it so it melted in your mouth! We ate it like potato chips!
Yet, I always loved it with sauce and lots of gooey cheese, too! But, frying the breaded eggplant over the stove can be a mess. So I figured out a way to do everything in the oven, and it tastes fantastic! And you know how sometimes eggplant can be a little bitter? Well, you can get rid of any bitterness by soaking it in milk and Kosher salt, and not only does it take out the bitterness, but it also tenderizes it, too!
FRESH AND SHREDDED MOZZARELLA CHEESE PUT IT OVER THE TOP!
Using fresh mozzarella is a game changer for me. I always used to just sprinkle some of the shredded mozzarella over my eggplant, but when my cousin, Joey, from Staunton, VA taught me to use fresh mozzarella too, all I can say is “WOW”! It adds such a creaminess in addition to the stringy mozzarella that pulls up when it melts on top of the eggplant!
YES, YOU CAN HAVE OUR VEGETABLES AND LIKE IT TOO!
So whether you bake the eggplant and serve without the sauce and cheese or go for the gusto and add all those layers, I hope you’ll love my Baked Eggplant Parmesan!
So until next time,
Let’s get cookin” together,
Madeline
Baked Eggplant Parmesan
Equipment
- 1 13"x9'x2" aluminum pan or glass dish
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Medium Mixing Bowl
- 1 4 - 8 Quart Pot with Lid
Ingredients
- 1 pound eggplant
- 1 cup butternmilk
- 1 tbsp Kosher or Sea salt
- 2 cups Italian Seasoned Panko or Bread Crumbs
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup Locatelli or Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
- 3 cups tomato or marinara sauce You don't have to make Madeline's Signature sauce. You can certainly buy a jar or two of your favorite tomato or marinara sauce.
- 8 ounces fresh, sliced mozzarella cheese I used BelGioioso pre-sliced.
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley or basil, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Peel eggplant in strips or if you don't like the skin, peel the eggplant entirely.
- Slice in 1 inch slices.
- Place in large mixing bowl with buttermilk and Kosher salt and marinate for 20 minutes.
- Heat sauce in pot over stove until warm.
- Preheat over to 400° convection roast or 425° bake setting.
- Sprinkle ⅛ cup olive oil in bottom of pan and heat in oven for 5 minutes.
- Dip eggplant slices in breadcrumbs and cover on both sides.
- Place breaded eggplant slices in pan, and roast/bake for 10 minutes. Turn over, sprinkling remaining olive oil over slices, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
- Spread sauce over each eggplant slice. Place one slice of fresh mozzarella on each piece of eggplant.
- Spread another layer of sauce over each eggplant slice, and sprinkles shredded mozzarella cheese over each slice.
- Top with chipped basil or parsley.
- Roast or bake 10 minutes until cheese is melted and slightly brown on the top.
Notes
