Description
Baked eggplant, stacked up with tomato sauce and cheese. These towers of eggplant parmigiana make a festive appetizer, lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 medium eggplants (1 1/4 lbs each) cut into 1/3-inch rounds (12-14 slices per eggplant)
- 2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 cup milk (I used 2% but whole is fine too)
- salt and pepper
- Canola oil or cooking spray (for the baking pan)
- Parchment paper to line the baking pan
- Tomato Sauce*
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced (2 cups)
- 2 tablespoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes (I use San Marzano or Organic whole plum tomatoes and crush them in my blender)
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (optional)
- Cheese:
- 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese (3 1/2- 4 cups)
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon finely ground parmesan cheese (I use Parmigiano Reggiano)
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, slivered
- Garnish: A sprinkling of slivered basil
Instructions
- Bread and Bake the Eggplant: Preheat oven to 375ºF. Lightly oil a baking sheet or jellyroll pan. Mix Panko with basil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and spread onto a plate. Pour milk into a shallow bowl. Dip each eggplant slice into milk and turn to coat. Shake off excess. Press an eggplant slice down into the breadcrumbs. Flip and press the other side in to help the crumbs adhere. Arrange breaded eggplant on lightly oiled baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the slices. Sprinkle eggplant slices with a little salt (1 teaspoon or so) and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Flip slices and bake for another 15 minutes until the eggplant is softened and lightly browned in spots. Remove tray from oven and let eggplant cool for a few minutes so you can handle it. (leave oven set at 375ºF)
- Make the Tomato Sauce: While the eggplant is baking, make the sauce: heat olive oil in a large cooking pot or dutch oven oven medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook for about 8 minutes until very soft and starting to brown. Stir in dried basil, salt, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and honey. Cook sauce at a simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes. Add minced garlic (if using) and simmer 10 minutes longer. Remove from heat. The sauce will be thick.
- Assemble the Stacks: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper. Divide the total number of eggplant slices by 3 and that's how many stacks you'll have. You should have enough for 8-9 stacks. Arrange the 8 (or 9) largest eggplant rounds on the prepared parchment-line pan. Top each round with two tablespoon of tomato sauce, a teaspoon of parmesan, 2 tablespoons of mozzarella, and a sprinkle of slivered basil (don't add basil to the top of the stacks) Repeat with two more layers, using the larger slices for the middle layer and the smaller ones for the top. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot.
- Garnish each stack with a sprinkle of slivered basil.
Notes
*Time saving tip: If you're short on time, use a 32-ounce jar of your favorite tomato sauce for this recipe. Add a can of tomato paste to thicken it. A thick sauce is great glue for holding the stacks together.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven baked
- Cuisine: Italian