The time has finally come to share my Eggplant Parmesan recipe! Woohoo! If you are my friend on Facebook, I know you have been {im}patiently waiting… well, no more. Here it is! 🙂 Eggplant parmesan is one of those things that is delightfully delicious and simple in Italy, but is usually represented as a greasy, cheesy tower of mess here in the States. I am here to show you how to make REAL Italian eggplant parmesan, and how to make it even easier and healthier. Believe it or not, when made with baked or grilled eggplants, this dish is relatively low-fat, low-carb, and basically gluten-free. And vegetarian!
First up, the eggplants. You could fry them {my mom does!}, but honestly… who has the time? Frying these babies takes forever. Instead, I simply sliced them, seasoned them, and baked them. Much easier and you eat a lot less fat this way! Last time I made eggplant parmesan, I cooked them in my panini/George Foreman grill, which is another deliciously low-fat cooking method. In my opinion, the oven is the best way though, because you can put all your eggplants in at once and let them do their thing. It’s not as hands-on and labor intensive as frying or grilling.
The other two crucial ingredients of an Italian Eggplant Parmesan are the tomato sauce and the bechamel sauce. Surprisingly {or not}, copious amounts of cheese are NOT part of the original recipe. And don’t even mention ricotta unless you want me to slap you! I simply don’t understand American cooks’ fixation on sticking ricotta in every single Italian dish out there. Don’t get me wrong, I love ricotta! Just not in everything. 🙂 I promise this recipe is really simple, just a little time-consuming. Most of the time is hands-off, so please don’t be put off by it! Please make this and wonder why you haven’t been eating Eggplant Parmesan this way for years!
grilled eggplant parmesan
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Valentina | The Baking Fairy
Recipe type: Vegetarian
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- 1 15oz can of tomato sauce
- 2-3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp flour {use cornstarch to make this gluten-free}
- 2 cups skim milk, heated
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 cup shredded Italian blend or mozzarella cheese
- salt, pepper, and garlic salt for seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Grab 1-2 large baking sheets, and lightly grease with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Set aside for now.
- While the oven heats, wash and dry your eggplants. Cut off the tops and bottoms, and slice in ½ inch slices. Season with garlic salt and pepper on both sides, and place on your prepared baking sheets. Bake for 25-30 minutes, switching pans halfway, until golden brown and soft.
- Turn the oven up to 450F when done.
- Meanwhile, in a small nonstick pot, heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil with the smashed garlic on medium-high. As soon as the garlic starts to fizzle a little bit, add in all of the tomato sauce.
- Add in some salt and a pinch of sugar. This is SUPER important, it helps your tomato sauce be savory and not acidic!
- Stir, and let the sauce cook on medium-high until it starts to boil and spatter. Cover, and turn the heat down to low. Let the sauce simmer while you get the rest of the ingredients ready.
- In another medium nonstick pot, melt the butter over medium heat. As soon as it's melted, immediately add in all of the flour or cornstarch and whisk vigorously to combine.
- Cook the butter/flour mixture for a minute or two {to get rid of the raw flour taste}, then slowly pour in your heated milk, whisking continuously.
- Keep mixing until all the milk has been poured in, then season with salt, pepper, and ¼ tsp nutmeg. Whisk in ¼ cup of the parmesan cheese, and it's ready! Make sure the bechamel is the LAST thing you prepare before assembling, it starts to thicken almost immediately after it's done cooking.
- Grab an 8x8 baking dish, and spray with nonstick spray. Spread a small amount of bechamel in the bottom, then top with one layer of the baked eggplant slices. Top with some tomato sauce, followed by some of the shredded cheese and parmesan. Repeat until you are out of eggplants! I am usually able to get three layers. Make sure to end with the cheese!
- Cover the pan with foil, and bake in your 450F oven for about 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake 20-30 more minutes.
- Let cool and settle for 15-20 minutes before serving, if possible. Cut into 4-6 even pieces, and enjoy!
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This looks AMAZING. That first picture… you're making me so hungry!