Eggplant Parmesan

From Food Network Kitchens

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (93)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(93)

Cook Time:
1 hr 0 min
Level:
--
Yield:
about 4 to 6 main course servi

Times:

Prep: 1 hr 15 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 1 hr 0 min
Total:: 2 hr 15 min

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Ingredients

2 medium eggplant (about 2 1/4 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch-thick round slices
Kosher salt, as needed, plus 1 tablespoon
5 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
All-purpose flour for dredging
6 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons whole milk
Olive oil, as needed
7 cups QUICK MARINARA SAUCE, recipe follows
2/3 cup grated Parmesan, divided
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Directions

Arrange the eggplant slices on several baking sheets and sprinkle generously all over with kosher salt. Set aside to let the bitter juices weep from the eggplant, about 1 hour.

Transfer the eggplant to a colander in the sink, and rinse well under cold running water. Transfer eggplant to a work surface and blot very dry with paper towels.

In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, breadcrumbs, oregano, thyme, and season with pepper.

Place the flour in a medium lipped plate or bowl. In another medium bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Dredge an eggplant slice in the flour, then dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.

In a large straight-sided skillet, pour the oil to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat the oil over medium heat until it registers 400 degrees F on a deep frying thermometer. (The oil must be heated to 400 degrees F. so that the breaded eggplant, when added, will drop the temperature of the oil to the proper frying temperature of 375 degrees F.)

Working in small batches, fry the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and season with salt to taste. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly brush a 15 x 10- x 2-inch-baking dish with olive oil. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with 1/3 of the marinara sauce and arrange half of the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with another 1/3 of the sauce. Scatter half of the Parmesan and half of the mozzarella over the sauced eggplant. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, sauce, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Bake until hot and just beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

QUICK MARINARA SAUCE
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced (about 1/3 cup)
5 cloves garlic, chopped
7 cups whole, peeled, canned tomatoes in puree (about two 28-ounce can), roughly chopped
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs of fresh basil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper to taste. Use immediately, store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Yield: about 3 1/2 cups

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Eggplant Parmesan
Candice Palmdale, CA 11-02-2009
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De-lish!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Need I say more? Well, I did add ground fennel and basil to the bread crumbs -- which I only needed half of the 5 cup called... for.Read more
recipe Eggplant Parmesan
Jessica Flagstaff, AZ 10-30-2009
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Eggplant
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this recipe for my family and they were absolutely head over heels for it! My brother won't stop asking me to make... this recipe every time I visit! I used a bottled sauce, but still very delicious. Love it!Read more
recipe Eggplant Parmesan
Giovanna Port St Lucie, FL 09-28-2009
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I've Discovered Eggplant Again
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Ok, so I didnt follow the recipe to a tee, but I did keep the basic steps. I did not find the final product salty at all as I... made sure to fully rinse the eggplant after it wept (or weeped?). I used italian seasoned breadcrumbs so I did not add salt to them. I also tried to limit the salt in the marinara because I knew that I would use parmigiano cheese and that's salty enough. I also put in some crushed red pepper flakes in the marinara because I like a little kick in all my food.I gotta say I had not eaten eggplant since I was 10 and I remember hating it with a passion. I'm 20 now and I've rediscovered and appreciate eggplant now. I will absolutely make this again as it was extremely tasty. Oh and I know that it doesn't state the prep time here but between weeping the eggplant, making the sauce, and frying the eggplant; the prep time ended up being almost 2 hrs. It took a while to prep but, it was not difficult at all and it was well worth the effort. Read more
recipe Eggplant Parmesan
cathy Northville, MI 09-20-2009
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HAHA!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

M.DAVID needs to CHILL on the saltonomics!
recipe Eggplant Parmesan
Cathy Lowell, MA 09-06-2009
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The Best Eggplant Parmesan
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Amazing! I have made this recipe several times and it has been requested again and again. Loved it.
recipe Eggplant Parmesan
M. David Fernley, NV 08-25-2009
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For those that Dont understand How to Cook with Salt
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I read alot of complaints on this recipe being too salty. A Piece of advice. Salt is not required is MOST foods. As... Americans we tend to eat way too much salt. The amount of sodium we need in our daily diet typically can be found naturally already in the foods we eat without adding more. With that said, I would like to encourage those of you who read recipes to apply some common sense. just becuase something says to add 1 TBSP of Salt, or 1/8 tsp of salt, common sense should tell you whether to add salt at all or not. Recipes are guides. As to my rating of this recipe, it was 5 stars but then again, I applied common sense on what I used in the recipe. I used maybe 1/8 tsp of salt for the whole recipe. The salt from the Parmesan cheese that is found naturally, the salt already left over residual in the eggplant from the wheeping as well as the mozzerella cheese should be enough salt for most peoples taste. As a result, I give this recipe 5 stars with the modifications I made to omit all the excess sodium.Read more