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If you love Eggplant Parmesan, this recipe is going to become your new obsession! A whole roasted eggplant with a crispy parmesan crust, topped with an amazing tomato sauce made from scratch and then layered with creamy, fresh burrata.
Why You’ll Love Eggplant Parmesan
The perfect bite does exist and I’ll tell you how to make it! Take some of the homemade tomato sauce and coat your whole roasted crispy eggplant parmesan in it. Then take a little bit of the soft creamy burrata and a small piece of basil and dollop that on top. And you have it, the perfect bite. Bon appétit!
How To Prepare
Char Eggplant
- 🔥 Stab the eggplant with a fork. Char until it looks pretty burnt on the stove or broiler. If you aren’t comfortable doing it on your stove, you can always use a grill. This will take about 10 minutes, depending on the size of the eggplant.
- 🥣 Place your whole roasted eggplant in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 15-20 minutes, this will make the skin peel off much easier.
Sauce
- 🧅 Add the oil to a saucepan with the onions and garlic. Let them soften for 4-5 minutes on medium low.
- 🌿 Add basil, oregano, tomatoes, balsamic and soy. Let simmer covered for 25-30 minutes, mixing often.
Eggplant Parm
- 🍆 The key word here is going to be gentle: Peel the eggplant and flatten gently into a cutlet. Pat dry with a paper towel, gently.
- 🧂 Mix flour, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and salt and add to a plate or small baking tray.
- 🥚 Mix the milk and eggs, strain into a different plate or small baking tray.
- 🧀 Mix the parmesan with the panko and put it on a plate or small baking tray.
- ⏲ Dredge the eggplant in the flour on both sides, pass it through the egg wash and then the panko parm. Let sit 5-10 minutes, this will help the crust stay on the eggplant while frying.
- 🔥 Preheat a pan for 3 minutes on medium high heat. Add plenty of olive oil and fry the eggplant until golden, about 3 minutes per side.
- 🥫 Check on your tomato sauce. Using an immersion blender, blend until mostly smooth. Adjust seasoning.
- 🍽️ To serve, spread your sauce on a plate, top with eggplant parmesan, burrata, fresh basil, olive oil and crushed red peppers.
🫶 And that is it, subscribe for more!
🔥Chef Nadia’s Tip🔥
Don’t skip letting the eggplant rest with the panko egg mixture on it. They is key for making sure your crust sticks to the eggplant while frying.
Substitutions and Variations
- Substitutions
- If you are uncomfortable roasting an eggplant on the oven or if you don’t have a gas stove, you can always char it on the grill if possible.
- If burrata isn’t your thing, you can pick whatever your favorite is to top the eggplant parmesan and pop it under the broiler for a minute to melt.
- Variations
- Eggplant Sandwich Variation: If you have leftovers or just want to completely change up the eggplant parmesan recipe game, buy your favorite sub roll and pop the eggplant parm along with the topping on a sandwich!
- Spicy Variation: You can also top with salsa macha if you want even more kick!
The Perfect Pairings
🍷 Drinks: A red wine like a chianti, barbera or a montepulciano d’Abuzzo are always a good choice. If you’re looking for something a little more, I have the perfect cocktail, my Tinto de Verano.
🥗 Sides: To pair with an eggplant parmesan recipe, a fresh crisp salad is a classic option. You can make some spaghetti and double up on the sauce. If you’d like a pasta with its own sauce, you can try a tomato pastina.
🍰 Dessert: End your night with a bang with a Burnt Basque Cheesecake.
Drinks
Tinto de Verano Recipe
Sides
Arugula Fennel Salad
Mains
Tomato Pastina
Sweets
Burnt Basque Cheesecake
Common Questions for Eggplant Parmesan
I very much recommend it. The skin is very thick and peeling it makes each bite much more tender. It’s more work but it is worth it!
Zucchini (it lets out more water though), portobello mushrooms, tofu or chicken.
Use whichever your favorite are. Just make sure you are getting a can or crushed tomatoes that you actually like, my favorite just happens to be Bianco Di Napoli. Think about how much of the dish these tomatoes make up. It worth it to get a quality product that tastes good.
Eggplant Parmesan
Equipment
- Bowl
- plastic wrap
- 3 small baking trays or plates
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 ½ cups panko
- ¼ cup parmesan, freshly grated
Sauce:
- ½ large onion, finely chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, chopped
- 2 ½ tbsp olive oil
- 4 large basil leaves, fresh
- 1 tsp oregano
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes, I love Bianco Di Napoli
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
Toppings
- olive oil, drizzle
- 2 burrata
- fresh basil, to taste
- crushed red peppers, to taste
Instructions
Char Eggplant
- Stab the eggplant with a fork. Char until it looks pretty burnt on the stove or broiler. This will take about 10 minutes, depending on the size of the eggplant.
- Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 15-20 minutes.
Sauce
- Add the oil to a saucepan with the onions and garlic. Let them soften for 4-5 minutes on medium low.
- Add basil, oregano, tomatoes, balsamic and soy. Let simmer covered for 25-30 minutes, mixing often so the bottom won't burn.
Eggplant Parm
- Peel the eggplant and flatten gently into a cutlet. Pat dry with a paper towel, gently.
- Mix flour, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and salt and add to a plate or small baking tray.
- Mix the milk and eggs, and strain into a different plate or small baking tray.
- Mix the parmesan with the panko and put it on a plate or small baking tray.
- Dredge the eggplant in the flour on both sides, pass it through the egg wash and finally the panko parm mixture.
- Let them sit 5-10 minutes.
- Preheat a pan for 3 minutes on medium high heat. Add plenty of olive oil and fry the eggplant until golden, about 3 minutes per side, watching that it doesn't burn.
- Check on your tomato sauce. Using an immersion blender, blend until mostly smooth. Adjust seasoning.
- To serve, spread your sauce on a plate, top with eggplant, burrata, basil, olive oil and crushed red peppers.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
