Eggplant parmesan

The ultimate vegetarian comfort food (kind of disguised as a lasagna).

Credit: VICELAND / It's Suppertime

• serves

  8

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  50 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Tomato sauce

• ½ cup olive oil
• 9 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2½ tbsp tomato paste
• 6 500 g tins ( or 3 28 oz cans ) whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand (see Note)
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Eggplant parmesan

• 3-4 medium eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise into 6 mm pieces
• 2 cups (300 grams)  plain (all-purpose) flour
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 cups (500 grams) bread crumbs
• 1¼ cups olive oil
• 1 cup canola oil
• 4 cups of the tomato sauce
• 680 gm (1½ lb) sliced Mozzarella cheese
• 1 bunch fresh basil leaves.
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Standing time: 10 minutes

Instructions

Make the tomato sauce: Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium. Add the garlic and onion and cook until translucent and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Season with salty and pepper and remove from heat.

Place flour in one large shallow dish. Season with salt and pepper. In another shallow dish, mix the eggs with ½ cup water. Place the bread crumbs in a third shallow dish. Working with 1 slice of eggplant at a time, dust it in the flour, coating it all over, then dip in egg wash, then place in breadcrumbs to coat. Repeat with the remaining slices.

Heat 1 cup of olive oil and the canola oil in a large frying pan over medium-high. Working in batches, cook the eggplant, flipping once, until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a rack set over a baking sheet and season with salt.

Heat the oven to 450°F. Ladle ½ cup tomato sauce on the bottom of a 22 cm by 33cm (9 by 13-inch) casserole dish. Arrange a layer of fried eggplant into the dish, then layer mozzarella slices on top to cover. Spoon over 1 cup of tomato sauce then scatter 6-7 basil leaves on sauce. Arrange another layer of fried eggplant slices in the opposite direction. Repeat layers 3 more times ending in mozzarella. Sprinkle parmesan over surface of the top layer then drizzle with the remaining ¼ cup olive oil. Bake until cheese is browning and bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.

Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Note

• In It’s Suppertime, Matty puts the tomatoes through a mouli as he adds them to the pan, to make a smooth sauce.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.