Traditional Neapolitan Recipe
The eggplant Parmigiana is one of those recipes that I saw changing the most while traveling. I will give you the real Neapolitan recipe, no meat needed, just a few ingredients put together with love.
I am going to put the ingredient list down below; however, the amount mostly depends on your taste: as with most Italian recipes, we are not used to weighing them (I did for you, more or less), but you can choose to have it with more cheese, more crispy, more tomato-rich; it is totally on you, and it is perfectly fine as long as you stick to these ingredients.
Ingredients and Preparation Time
Ingredients for 4 servings:
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- 3 medium eggplants (the purple and long ones are the best, as they can be layered like a puzzle)
- 3 eggs
- 200g mozzarella
- 150g Parmesan cheese
- 500ml Tomato sauce
- 100g all-purpose flour
- Basil to taste
Time: 30 minutes prep, 20 minutes frying, and 30 minutes baking.
Cooking Steps
First thing we want to do is to slice the eggplants (0.5cm is the perfect thickness) and cover each slice with salt, then place it in a strainer with something heavy on top (for example, a dish and a pot). This will let the eggplant release all the water, allowing it to be crispy and boosting the flavor.
While the eggplants are sitting, cook the tomato sauce (there is the recipe for my tomato sauce too, but you can cook it your own way if you prefer), dice the mozzarella and get all the ingredients ready: put the flour in a dish and in a large bowl beat the eggs (remember to add salt here). Get ready with an empty dish too; you will need it.
In 10 minutes, your eggplants should be ready, so rinse them and wipe them with a towel. Now, it is going to be like a puzzle: flour each slice, then put in the eggs, and then again in the flour. Do it for all of them and let them sit in the empty dish prepared.
Now you have three ways you can cook them: deep-frying is the most traditional one (but takes a long time), air-frying (160°C – 320°F, 15 minutes, flipping them after 8 minutes and spraying with oil on top and bottom), or my favorite one: place them on a sheet pan with parchment paper on, spray some oil, and cook in the oven, fan-assisted, 16 minutes at 180°C – 350°F, flipping them at 8 minutes.
Once they are ready, most of your job is done: now you just have to build it as you would do with a lasagna: take a casserole and layer eggplant, tomato sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, and basil, cover evenly, and start with the next layer. The perfect number of layers is 3 or 4, but you can do less if you want it crispier or more if you prefer it creamier.
Bake it fan-assisted 25 minutes 180°C – 350°F (that is why I love cooking the eggplants in the oven too, so it will be preheated for the parmigiana). When it is browned and crispy, and the tomato sauce stops bubbling, it is ready!
Eggplant Parmigiana
Ingredients
Method
- First thing we want to do is to slice the eggplants (0.5cm is the perfect high) and cover each slice with salt, then place it in a strainer with something heavy ontop (for example, a dish and a pot); this will let the eggplant realese all the water, alloweding them to be crispy and boosting the flavor
- While eggplants are sitting, cook the tomato sauce (there’s the recipe for my tomato sauce too, but you can cook it your own way if you prefer), dice the mozzarella and get all the ingredients ready: put the flour in a dish and in a large bowl beat the eggs (remember to add salt here); get ready with an empty dish too, you will need it
- In 10 minutes your eggplants should be ready, so rinse them and wipe them with a towel; now, it is going to be like a puzzle: flour each slice, then put in the eggs and then again in the flour; do it for all of them and let it sit in empty dish prepared
- Now you have three ways you can cook them: deep-frying is the most traditional one (but takes a long time), air-frying (160°C- 320°C, 15 mins flipping them after 8 mins and spaying with oil up and bottom) or my favourite one, place them on sheetpan with parchment paper on, spray some oil and cook in the oven, fan-assisted 16 mins 180°C – 350°F, flipping them at 8 mins
- Once they are ready, most of your job is done: now you just have to “built it” as you would do with a lasagna: take a casserole and layer eggplant, tomato sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and basil, cover evenly and start with the next layer; the perfect number of layers is 3 or 4, but you can do less if you want it crispier or more if you prefer it creamier
- Bake it fan-assisted 25 mins 180°C – 350°F (that’s why I love cooking the eggplants in the oven too, so it will be pre-heat for the parmigiana). When it is brown, crispy and you see the tomato sauce not “bubbleing” anymore, it is ready!