The Best Eggplant Parmesan
Eggplants are NOT boring
About the eggplant
I remember reading a comment on one of my harvesting videos that said “I don’t know why anyone grows eggplants, they’re so boring!”, and I truly felt a deep sadness for that person. It was clear that they’ve never experienced an amazing and flavorful dish like eggplant parmesan.
Eggplants are one of my favorite things to grow in the garden. Although they can be quite a challenge (can anyone say flea beetles?), they’re well worth the effort. They’re a versatile crop that can be eaten and enjoyed in so many ways. This post just happens to be about the BEST way in my humble opinion.
There are many varieties of eggplant. Most varieties fall into two categories: Italian eggplants and Asian eggplants. Italian eggplants are large, round, and tend to be more seedy. Asian eggplants are long, skinny, and a bit more tender. For this recipe, you are going to want to use an Italian eggplant. This is an Italian dish, after all! The variety of eggplant that I harvested from my garden is called Midnight Moon Hybrid from Burpee Seeds.
About the tomatoes
Making your own tomato sauce is a labor of love, but it is SO worth it. With tomatoes finally in abundance in the garden, I knew I had to make the tomato sauce from scratch. But, you don’t have to! If you’d rather opt out, just choose your favorite jarred or canned tomato/marinara sauce.
If opting in, try to choose paste tomatoes from your garden if you can. Paste tomatoes, like the Romas I harvested for this, are tomatoes with little water content. They are known for making amazing sauce that is much richer in flavor due to this. However, if you do not have paste tomatoes, you can still use any tomato you’d like. You may just need to cook it down a little more to get the right consistency.
Watch me make this above!
Ingredients
For the tomato sauce:
This is a general recipe, and I honestly don’t measure exact! Just throw whatever you want/have into a roasting dish. If you don’t want to make your own sauce, skip and use your favorite canned/jarred tomato sauce.
10-12 paste tomatoes, halved
4 shallots, halved
6 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno (optional), halved
Fresh oregano sprigs
1/2 cup olive oil
Splash of dry white wine (I used pinot grigio)
Salt to taste
For the rest:
1 large eggplant, cut into twelve 1/2 inch thick slices. Makes 6 “stacks”.
Kosher salt
1 cup seasoned panko (you can use Italian breadcrumbs as well, I just find that panko makes it a bit lighter and lets the eggplant shine a little more)
1 cup all purpose flour
2-3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup parmesan grated
1 cup shredded mozzarella (or more if not using slices)
6 slices mozerella (optional)
Fresh basil to garnish
Directions:
Roast your tomatoes, shallots, garlic, jalapeño, and olive oil on 400 degrees Farenheit for 45-50 minutes.
While roasting, cut your eggplant into 1/2 inch slices. Lay them out on a paper towel, and add a light dusting of kosher salt to each slice. This will help the eggplant to “sweat” out its moisture. Let rest for 20 mins and blot all liquid with a paper towel. Try to get the eggplant slices as dry as possible.
When tomatoes are finished, transfer to a stock pot and use an immersion blender to blend (or use a regular blender) until smooth. Add a splash of dry white wine and some salt to taste if you’d like, and cook it down until it’s a consistency that you enjoy.
Coat your eggplant slices in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Place on a baking sheet with parchment paper, and bake for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, making sure to flip them halfway through.
Once finished, it’s time to assemble your eggplant parmesan in a 9x11 or 9x13 casserole dish. First add a layer of sauce, then eggplant. Top each eggplant slice with more sauce, then sprinkle with shredded mozzarella. Add another eggplant slice, then more sauce, and top with more mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400 degrees Farenheit for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with fresh basil and grated parmesan, and enjoy!