Best Baked Eggplant Alla Romana Recipes

BAKED EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Place eggplant slices in a colander; sprinkle both sides of each slice with salt. Allow to sit for at least 3 hours. Wipe excess moisture from eggplant slices with paper towels.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
• Mix bread crumbs and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese together in a bowl.
• Dip eggplant slices in beaten egg; coat with bread crumb mixture. Arrange coated eggplant slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned and crisp, about 5 minutes per side.
• Cover the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole dish with a layer of spaghetti sauce; top with a layer of eggplant slices. Sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of the remaining Parmesan cheese and 1/3 the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients, ending with a cheese layer. Sprinkle with basil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is bubbling and golden brown, about 35 minutes.

EGGPLANT ROMANO

Steps:

• Heat the wine in a large pot and cook the onion over medium heat for about 6-8 minutes. Stir is several times through out the cooking process until the onions are soft. Add in the garlic and bell pepper and cook, stir until tender.
• Add the black pepper and canned tomatoes and tomato paste. Cover and cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes. Stir in the salt and simmer gently uncovered until the sauce gets thick. This can take about 1 hour. Add the dried herbs and simmer for a few more minutes. Season with additional salt and then remove from the heat.
• Peel the eggplant. Cut into 1/2" slices. Salt both sides of the peeled egg plant and then put into a colander and press. I used a dinner plate and a brick, it worked very well. Do this for at least 30 minutes or longer. I let mine sit for longer. Put a dish under it and let the moisture seep out. I got a a fair amount of liquid out of eggplant.
• When the eggplant is drained run cold water over it and then put on a paper towel and pat dry top and bottom.
• At this point preheat your oven to 350'F. Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick oil spray and. Dip the dried eggplant into the chicken broth then coat both sides with the breadcrumbs. Put on your baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes until the crumbs are golden brown and the eggplant is tender, about 30 minutes.
• Get an 8x8" casserole dish and spray it with the non-stick spray and spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom. Arrange 1/2 the eggplant slices on top of the sauce. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the mozzarella over the eggplant. Top with a thicker layer of sauce then the first layer and sprinkle on 1/2 the Romano cheese on that. Repeat until you use up all the ingredients ending with the Romano Cheese.
• Bake, covered for about 30 minutes or until bubbling. Uncover and scatter more cheese on top if you wish, I just left it as is and baked it for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes before serving.
• Enjoy!

GRANDMA'S ITALIAN EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA

Steps:

• Lay eggplant slices on top of paper towels and sprinkle with sea salt to draw out moisture. Cover with additional paper towels. Let sit, 8 hours to overnight.
• Place flour into a 1-gallon plastic zip-top bag. Sprinkle salt and pepper into the flour and shake the bag to mix. Place 6 eggplant slices into the bag, seal, and shake to coat.
• Beat eggs and water together using a fork in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat 2 inches of oil over medium-high heat in a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Line baking sheets with paper towels to drain eggplants after frying.
• Shake excess flour from eggplant slices and place into egg mixture, turning to ensure both sides are coated. Allow excess egg mixture to drip off before placing slices into the hot oil. Fry until slightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to the paper towel-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Pecorino Romano cheese. Repeat process until all eggplant slices are fried. Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Pour a small amount of tomato sauce into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan to cover. Place 1/3 of the eggplant slices over sauce, slightly overlapping them. Sprinkle 1/3 of the remaining Pecorino-Romano cheese and Parmesan cheese evenly over the slices. Cover with a light layer of sauce. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese over sauce. Repeat for a total of 3 layers.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes to set.

ITALIAN BAKED EGGPLANT WITH PARMESAN (PARMIGIANA DI MELANZANE)

Steps:

• Place a single layer of eggplant slices in a colander sitting on a plate and sprinkle with coarse salt. Cover with a second layer and sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining eggplant. Place a plate on top and add a weight to put pressure on the eggplant slices. Let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.
• Rinse eggplant slices under running cold water to wash off all the salt. Pat dry on all sides with paper towels.
• Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge eggplant slices in flour on both sides and add to the hot oil, working in batches. Deep fry eggplant until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; cook garlic and onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomato puree, 4 basil leaves, and salt. Cook, stirring often, until sauce starts to thicken, about 20 minutes. Remove sauce from heat. Discard garlic and stir in remaining 4 leaves basil.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Spread a layer of tomato sauce over the bottom of a baking dish. Cover with a single layer of eggplant slices. Top with more sauce, mozzarella slices, and Parmesan cheese. Continue making layers, a total of 3 to 5, finishing with tomato sauce and grated Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until heated through and bubbling, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 20 minutes before serving.