Crispy, breaded eggplant without the frying
Let’s face it. When you coat anything with a breading that includes Parmesan cheese, then fry it, douse it with sauce, melted mozzarella and more Parmesan, it’s going to be delicious.
Whether you start with chicken or eggplant or an old shoe, you’re going to end up with a meal that most people will be happy to see on the menu.
The thing is, though, I want to eat eggplant Parmesan much more often than I want to eat anything that has been breaded and fried. So I was glad to find a recipe that offers a breading-and-baking technique that yields crunchy, flavorful eggplant slices without all the grease.
In fact, the breaded eggplant is so good, I had a hard time keeping my husband from eating the slices long before the eggplant Parmesan had been assembled and baked. I think there was even some hand-slapping involved.
So why not skip the last step of baking with all that sauce and cheese? These crispy slices make a delicious dinner either all by themselves, or perhaps with a bit of marinara on the side for dipping.
Or layer the slices into a pita with lettuce, tomato and thin, sweet onion slices and a garlic-tahini sauce (¼ cup well-stirred tahini, 2 tablespoons water, 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and 1 small clove garlic, minced).
Or serve them with tzatziki sauce and a big, fat Greek salad. The possibilities are endless.
Peak season for eggplant is July through October, but you can find good quality eggplant year round. Look for ones that are firm, with shiny, smooth skin. Don’t buy if the skin is wrinkly or the fruit has any soft spots. You’ll know an eggplant is overripe (and will be very bitter) if it has large seeds. But if you stick with firm fruits, you should avoid that problem. You can use any variety of eggplant. Just slice it crosswise into 1/4-inch slices and start the process.
Now, don’t get me wrong. The final eggplant Parmesan from this recipe is also very delicious and worth trying. That’s why I’m giving you the whole recipe. If you just want the eggplant, skip the sauce and casserole ingredients and steps. The whole recipe takes time to prepare, and you’ll end up with a lot of dirty dishes, but you’ll be rewarded with a hardy, healthy meal that will happily feed a crowd.
Enjoy!
Eggplant Parmesan
Serves 6 to 8
For the eggplant:
2 pounds eggplant, cut crosswise into ¼-inch-thick rounds
1 tablespoon kosher salt
8 slices high-quality white bread (about 8 ounces), torn into quarters
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
Salt and ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
6 tablespoons olive oil
For the sauce:
3 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 generous tablespoon)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup fresh basil leaves chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded whole milk mozzarella or part-skim mozzarella
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce)
10 fresh basil leaves torn, for garnish
For the eggplant: Toss half of eggplant slices and 1½ teaspoons of kosher salt in large bowl until the salt is evenly distributed. Transfer the slices to large colander set over bowl. Repeat with remaining eggplant and kosher salt, placing second batch in colander on top of first. Let the eggplant rest for 30 to 45 minutes, until it releases about 2 tablespoons liquid.
While eggplant is draining, adjust your oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and put rimmed baking sheet onto each rack. Set the oven to 425 degrees.
Pulse the bread pieces in a food processor until you've made about 4 cups of fine, even crumbs (about 15 pulses). Transfer the crumbs to pie plate and add 1 cup Parmesan, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Mix to combine and set aside.
Wipe out the bowl of your food processor — don't wash it yet — and set aside.
Next, combine the flour with 1 teaspoon black pepper in large zipper-lock bag. Shake to combine and set aside. Beat the eggs in a second pie plate.
After the eggplant has drained, arrange the slices on a triple layer of paper towels; cover with another triple layer and firmly press each slice to remove as much liquid as possible. Wipe away excess salt.
Put 8 to 10 eggplant slices into the bag with the flour. Zip the top and shake to coat. Remove the slices, shaking off any excess flour. Dip each slice into the eggs, let excess run off, then coat evenly with the bread crumb mixture. Press the crumbs onto the slices to coat them evenly. Set breaded slices on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
Remove the preheated baking sheets from oven. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to each sheet, tilting to coat evenly. Place half of breaded eggplant slices on each sheet in single layer then put each sheet back into the oven. Bake until the eggplant for 10 minutes, then switch and rotate the pans. Bake for another 10 minutes, then flip each slice with a wide spatula. Bake another 10 minutes until the eggplant is well browned and crisp, about 30 minutes total. Remove the pans but don't turn off the oven.
For the sauce: While eggplant bakes, process 2 cans diced tomatoes in food processor until almost smooth, about 5 seconds. Heat olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes in large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until fragrant and garlic is light golden, about 3 minutes. Add the processed tomatoes and the remaining can of diced tomatoes. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened and reduced, about 15 minutes (you should have about 4 cups). Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
To assemble: Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in bottom of 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Layer in half of eggplant slices, overlapping to fit. Distribute 1 cup of the sauce over the eggplant, then sprinkle with half the mozzarella. Layer in the remaining eggplant and dot with 1 cup sauce, leaving the majority of the eggplant exposed so it will remain crisp. Sprinkle the top with ½ cup of the Parmesan and the remaining mozzarella. Bake until bubbling and the cheese is browned, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes then scatter the torn basil leaves over the top, and serve, passing remaining tomato sauce separately.
Original recipe from America's Test Kitchen.
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