To say that my family are fans of eggplant Parmesan is an understatement
What’s not to love? Ooegy gooey cheese melted over crispy breaded eggplant, yum!
I made individual stacks one year for a holiday so they were easier to serve and they were a hit!
Each stack is crispy with just the right amount of sauce and cheese
I have a large sheet pan that we use whenever we need to make a “breading station”. It catches all of the drips and crumbs making clean up a breeze
First things first, let’s prep the eggplant
Cut off the top and bottom then remove the skin. I find a serrated knife works best for this job
Slice the eggplant into 1/2″ rounds
Eggplant have a bitter liquid that can be removed by salting before frying. I place the rounds on a wire rack over a sheet pan and salt both sides with kosher salt
Let them sit about a 1/2 hour while we prep the rest of the ingredients
Add three eggs, 1/2 cup of milk and one teaspoon each of kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder in a bowl and whisk
Measure out one cup of plain breadcrumb, one cup of panko breadcrumb, one cup of grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, and 4 cloves of minced garlic and add to a pie plate. Mix well to combine
I like to use a pie plate because the sides are higher than a regular plate and there is less chance for the breading to escape
Blot all of the salt and any accumulated liquid off of both sides of the eggplant, add the rounds to the breading station and we’re ready to start frying!
Heat 1/2″ of canola oil in a large pan over medium heat. You’ll know it’s hot enough when you drop a few breadcrumbs in the oil and they dance like crazy!
Add the eggplant slices to the egg/milk mixture, let drip off a bit then dredge in the breadcrumbs
I like to have a few ready at a time so I can add them in to hot oil all together allowing them to cook in even batches
Carefully place the eggplant rounds into the oil. Let fry for about a minute then flip Cook for another minute or two until until browned and crispy
Remove the eggplant from the pan and place on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Immediately sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt
Continue to work in batches until all of the eggplant are fried
In my house, I have to stand guard over these fried little delights. My family steals my eggplant before I get them into the oven!
Let’s get ready for eggplant stack assembly!
You’ll have to use some measuring skills here to match up the eggplant in the correct sizes… large, medium, small, repeat, repeat
I have one pound of fresh mozzarella, 3 cups of tomato sauce and one cup of pesto
If you’re short for time, feel free to use jarred sauces. If you prefer to make your own like I do, here are the links
Simple Tomato Sauce and Basil Pesto
Before we start layering, preheat the oven to 350 F
Line a sheet pan with parchment
Start with the largest of the eggplant rounds as the base, add a spoonful of tomato sauce, a smaller eggplant round, a spoonful of pesto and a piece of mozzarella, an even smaller eggplant round, then cheese. Phew. That’s a lot of layering
Repeat, repeat, repeat until all of the eggplant rounds have been used.
If you happen to have an uneven number, just eat one. I won’t tell. Promise
Oh, and FYI… Just for a neat presentation, I cut the top mozzarella slice into a small round with a 1 1/2″ biscuit cutter. Not necessary, but if you’d like the top layer of cheese to be uniform, give it a try
Into the oven we go!
Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the cheese is gooey and slightly browned
Blot the bottoms of the eggplant stacks to remove any excess oil and serve with additional tomato sauce if desired
Say cheese!!!!
Enjoy!
Simply Sundays! ~ Eggplant Stacks
Ingredients
2 large eggplant
For the eggwash:
3 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
For the breading:
1 cup of plain breadcrumb
1 cup of panko breadcrumb
1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
4 cloves of garlic, minced
For cooking and assembly:
Canola oil for frying as needed
1 pound of fresh mozzarella
2 cups of tomato sauce , plus additional for serving, if desired
2 cups of pesto
Kosher salt for re-seasoning
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F
Cut off the top and bottom of the eggplant and remove the skin. I find a serrated knife works best for this job
Slice the eggplant into 1/2″ rounds; place the rounds on a wire rack over a sheet pan and salt both sides with kosher salt
Let sit about a 1/2 hour while you prep the rest of the ingredients
Add three eggs, 1/2 cup of milk and one teaspoon each of kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder in a bowl and whisk
Measure out one cup of plain breadcrumb, one cup of panko breadcrumb, 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, one cup of grated Parmesan cheese and 4 cloves of minced garlic and add to a pie plate. Mix to combine
Blot all of the salt and any accumulated liquid off of both sides of the eggplant
Heat 1/2 inch of canola oil in a large pan over medium heat; it’s hot enough when you drop a few breadcrumbs in the oil and they dance like crazy!
Add the eggplant slices to the egg/milk mixture, let drip off a bit then dredge in the breadcrumbs; prep a few and add them to the hot oil at the same time so they cook in even batches
Carefully place the eggplant rounds into the oil. Let fry for about a minute then flip Cook for another minute or two until until browned and crispy
Remove eggplant from pan and place on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Immediately sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt
Continue to work in batches until all of the eggplant are fried
Line a sheet pan with parchment; start with the largest of the eggplant rounds as the base, add a spoon of tomato sauce, a smaller eggplant round, a spoon of pesto and a piece of mozzarella, an even smaller eggplant round, then more cheese
Repeat, repeat, repeat until all of the eggplant rounds have been used.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the cheese is gooey and slightly browned
Blot the bottoms of the eggplant stacks to remove any excess oil and serve with additional tomato sauce if desired
Tools used to make this recipe
Wilton Recipe Right Non-stick Cookie Sheet Set, 2-Piece
Reynolds Kitchens Parchment Paper
Pyrex Bakeware Scalloped Pie Plate
Pyrex Prepware 1-Cup Measuring Cup
Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood
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