Eggplant Parmesan, one of the classic preparations of southern Italy, is a casserole dish made by slicing eggplant thinly and frying it in olive oil and layering it with a tomato mixture.
In this recipe, fried onions and garlic are layered with diced tomatoes, fried eggplant, fresh basil, Parmesan cheese and fresh Mozarella.
This is a perfect dish for vegetarians or a hearty side dish to accompany barbecued lamb, beef or chicken.
Enjoy!
Eggplant Parmesan
Print recipe| Serves | 8 |
| Inspiration | Food and Wine magazine |
Ingredients
- 2 Medium onions (chopped)
- 2 Cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 Large eggplant (trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch slices)
- 2 14 oz (398 ml) tin low sodium diced tomatoes
- 4 Tbsp fresh basil (chopped)
- 1 1/2 200 g containers (8 to the container) boccancini (thinly sliced or 300 gm of fresh Mozarella)
- 2/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tbsp fine dry bread crumbs
Directions
| In a large frying pan, heat about 2 tbsp of the olive oil. Add the chopped onion and garlic and fry over medium heat until the onion is soft and the garlic is fragrant. Set aside. | |
| Heat a little more of the olive oil in the same frying pan and start to fry the eggplant slices in batches, about 4 minutes per batch, until they are have begun to soften and are lightly browned. You may need to add additional olive oil for each batch. | |
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In a 4 quart casserole, spread about one third of the diced tomatoes on the bottom of the dish. Add one third of the onion/ garlic mixture. Arrange one third of the cooked eggplant slices on top. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle one third of the freshly chopped basil.  | |
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Top with one third of the Parmesan and then one third of the sliced boccancini (or fresh Mozarella). Repeat the layers twice more and then sprinkle the bread crumbs on top of the lasy layer.  | |
| Bake in a 400 deg F oven (uncovered) for 45 minutes, until the bread crumbs are browned and the casserole is bubbling. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. | |