Eggplant Parmesan

This is not just any regular eggplant parmesan. This is the way I actually make it, pretty much how I make my chicken cutlets, except I add flour to these. You bread the eggplant in flour, then egg, then Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, and you fry it in oil until it is deep golden and crispy. That is the whole secret. Treat the eggplant like a cutlet, not like something you bury in a soggy casserole. Then you make a quick sauce from San Marzano tomatoes, crushed down by hand and cooked in oil with salt and pepper, and you build it right on the plate. Growing up in an Italian-American home, this is the eggplant parm I know, crispy, simple, and made from good ingredients that do all the work.

If you enjoy this recipe, I know you will enjoy my Homemade Lasagna recipe too!

Why You Will Love this Eggplant Parmesan

It stays crispy: Frying the eggplant like a cutlet gives you a real crust that crunches. It only goes under the broiler for a couple minutes to melt the cheese, so the breading never turns to mush the way it does in a casserole that bakes for an hour.

Simple ingredients: Eggplant, flour, egg, breadcrumbs, good San Marzano tomatoes, Parmigiano Reggiano, and fresh mozzarella. That is it. When the ingredients are this good you do not need to hide them.

San Marzano sauce: Real San Marzano tomatoes, crushed and cooked down in oil with just salt and pepper, taste sweeter and brighter than anything from a jar. It comes together while the eggplant fries.

Impressive: If you plate this for dinner, you will leave everyone impressed. The stack of crispy eggplant with the sauce, the parm, and the fresh mozzarella looks like it came off a restaurant menu.

Customizable: Feel free to serve it as is, pile it on a hero roll for the best eggplant parm sandwich of your life, or lay it over a plate of spaghetti. The method holds no matter what.

Ingredients

For the eggplant:

• 2 Medium Eggplants, sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch planks
• 1 Cup Flour
• 3 Eggs, beaten
• 2 Cups Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs
• Salt and Black Pepper to taste
• Neutral Oil, for frying

For the sauce:

• 1 Can (28 Oz) San Marzano Tomatoes
• 3 TBSP Olive Oil
• Salt and Black Pepper to taste

For the plate:

• Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
• Fresh Mozzarella, torn or sliced

How to Make Eggplant Parmesan:

Start by slicing the eggplant lengthwise into long planks about half an inch thick. Do not skip this next part. Lay the planks out on a wire rack and salt them well on both sides, then let them sit for at least 30 minutes. Eggplant holds entirely too much water, and you will see it bead right up on the surface. That water is what makes eggplant parm greasy and soggy, so this step is the difference between crispy and a mess. Pat every plank bone dry before you bread it, and hit them with a little black pepper on both sides.

Now set up your breading line, a lot like you would for chicken cutlets, except here I add a flour step. Flour in one bowl, the beaten eggs in the second, and the Italian seasoned breadcrumbs in the third. Take each slice of eggplant through the flour first, then the egg, then press it firmly into the breadcrumbs so it really grabs. Do not rush this, a good even coat is what gives you that crust.

Get a wide pan hot with enough neutral oil to come up the sides of the eggplant. You want to hear the sizzle the second the eggplant hits the oil. Fry the slices for about 3 minutes a side until they are deep golden brown and crispy. Do not crowd the pan, too many slices at once drops the oil temperature and you end up with pale, greasy eggplant. Pull them onto a rack, not paper towels, so the bottoms stay crunchy, and season them with a little salt the second they come out. Set aside when done.

While the eggplant fries, make the sauce. Pour the San Marzano tomatoes into a bowl and crush them down with your hands until they are broken up but still a little chunky. Get a pan warm with the olive oil, add the crushed tomatoes, and season with salt and black pepper. Let it cook and reduce for about 15 to 20 minutes until it tastes rich and comes together. San Marzanos are sweet enough that they do not need much, so keep it simple and just taste as you go.

Now assemble in a baking dish. Lay the fried eggplant out, grate Parmigiano Reggiano over each piece first, spoon a little sauce over that, and finish with torn fresh mozzarella on top. Slide the dish under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, just until the mozzarella melts and starts to bubble. You are not baking it down, you only want the cheese melted, so keep an eye on it.

Then plate it up. Spoon a layer of sauce down on the plate first, lay two pieces of the eggplant next to each other, and stack one more right in the center on top. Serve hot and enjoy!

Common Mistakes:

Not salting the eggplant: This is the one that ruins the whole dish. Eggplant is full of water, and frying it wet gives you greasy, soggy eggplant instead of crispy. Salt the planks well on a wire rack, give them at least 30 minutes, and pat them bone dry before breading.

Skipping the breading order: Flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, in that order. The flour helps the egg grip and the egg helps the breadcrumbs stick. Skip a step and the coating slides right off in the oil.

Crowding the pan: Every slice you add lowers the oil temperature. Fry in small batches and let the oil come back up between rounds, or the eggplant soaks up oil and goes soft instead of crisp.

Cheap tomatoes: This sauce is basically just tomatoes, oil, salt, and pepper, so the tomatoes have to be good. Real San Marzanos are worth it here. There is nothing to hide behind.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to salt the eggplant first?
Yes, this is the most important step. Eggplant holds entirely too much water, and if you fry it wet it comes out greasy and soggy every time. Lay the planks on a wire rack, salt them well on both sides, let them sit at least 30 minutes, and pat them bone dry before breading. Do not skip it.

Can I bake or air fry the eggplant instead of frying?
The air fryer works in a pinch. Spray the breaded slices with oil and cook at 400F until golden, flipping once. You trade a little of that fried crunch, but the Italian seasoned breadcrumbs still give you a good crust.

Can I make eggplant parmesan ahead of time?
You can make the San Marzano sauce a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Fry the eggplant fresh right before you serve, because reheating fried eggplant softens the crust. If you have to reheat, the oven or air fryer beats the microwave every time.

Can I use a different tomato?
You can use good canned whole peeled tomatoes, but real San Marzanos are the move here. Since the sauce is so simple, the quality of the tomato is what you taste, so use the best you can get.

What do I serve with it?
It is great on its own, over a plate of spaghetti, or stacked on a toasted hero roll as a sandwich. A simple salad and some bread for the extra sauce round it out. Keep the sides simple and let the eggplant be the star.