Parmigiana
Parmigiana is an Italian casserole made of fried eggplant, parmesan and tomato sauce also known as parmigiana di melanzane. It is very simple and delicious. Its preparation may seem quite complex, because the eggplant must first be cut, salted, rinsed, dried and then coated in flour and fried, but the effect is worth it.
Instead of preparing monoportions (as in the video below), you can prepare 1 large casserole. Just cut the eggplant into long slices instead of round ones, spread them over the entire surface of the dish and arrange the layers as in lasagna. If you want to prepare 1 large casserole, it is also worth doubling the amount of ingredients to obtain 3 equal layers of vegetables, sauce and cheese.
What can I replace an ingredient with?
You can replace the eggplant with zucchini. You can replace the mozzarella and parmesan with Grana Padano cheese, you can use a mixture of cheeses or just 1 of them. You can skip adding sun-dried tomatoes if you’re not a fan of them or don’t want them to dominate the dish. You can replace tomato passata with puree or canned tomatoes.
How to bake parmigiana?
It is best to use a ceramic oven-proof dish. A glass dish or a regular baking tray lined with baking paper will also work. Do not cover the dish.
What to serve parmigiana with?
Parmigiana is a great snack, it can be served as an appetizer, before an Italian-style main course or served with a light salad as a complete dish.
How to prepare gluten-free parmigiana?
You can replace regular flour with gluten-free flour, e.g. rice, corn or tapioca flour. You can also fry the eggplant without coating it in flour.
Parmigiana is perfect for people on a vegetarian, flexitarian and pescatarian diet.
The proportions given below make 8 servings of parmigiana.
Read the step-by-step recipe on how to prepare parmigiana and watch the video below the recipe.
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Parmigiana – Italian eggplant casserole
Recipe for Eggplant Parmigiana
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant
- 140 g sundried tomatoes
- 1 ball mozzarella
- 50 g parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp oil
- 500 g tomato passata
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp savory
- 1 tsp basil
- 3 tbsp flour
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Cut the eggplant into slices. Put in a bowl. Season the eggplant with salt and rub the salt thoroughly into each piece. Set aside for a few minutes for the eggplant to release water. This will help you get rid of the bitterness and excess water from the eggplant.1 eggplant, salt
- Then prepare the tomato sauce. Pour a little bit of olive oil into the pan, add chopped garlic, spices, fry and add tomato passata. Fry for a few minutes until you get a thick sauce. Add salt, pepper and some sugar.2 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp olive oil, 500 g tomato passata, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp savory, 1 tsp basil, pepper, salt
- Cut the mozzarella into thin slices and grate the parmesan on a very thin grater.1 ball mozzarella, 50 g parmesan cheese
- Then rinse the eggplant from excess salt and dry it with a paper towel.
- Coat the dried eggplant in flour on both sides. Fry the eggplant in oil on both sides until golden brown. Place the fried eggplant on a paper towel to remove excess fat.3 tbsp flour, 3 tbsp oil
- Spread a portion of tomato sauce on the bottom of the ovenproof dish. Place eggplant slices on top of the sauce. Place a portion of sauce, dried tomatoes, mozzarella and parmesan on the eggplant, then add another portion of eggplant, sauce, etc. until you run out of ingredients. I do 3 layers. See how to do it in the video below.140 g sundried tomatoes
- Bake the parmigiana for 15 minutes in an oven preheated to 200°C (
392 °F).
Video
Nutrition
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet
