Best Roasted Eggplant Parmesan Focaccia Recipes

EGGPLANT FOCACCIA WITH RICOTTA AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Oil a large bowl and set aside. (This is for the rising dough.)
• Add water to another large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over. Let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Stir 1/3 cup oil and salt into yeast mixture. Stir in flour until a soft, shaggy dough forms.
• If kneading by hand, turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Or knead in a stand mixer equipped with the dough hook for 3 to 5 minutes. The dough is ready when it's elastic but somewhat sticky and damp. If the dough seems unmanageable and won't come off your hands, add more flour, a little at a time.
• Place dough in the oiled bowl and turn to coat it lightly with oil. Cover bowl with a plate or plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
• While dough is rising, make the topping: Combine eggplant and salt in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
• Mince half of the olives and slice the other half.
• In a small saucepan, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium. Add garlic, stirring constantly, and heat until opaque, about 1 minute. Add the minced olives and anchovies, if using. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, until the oil is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and pour oil over eggplant. Add thyme or oregano and toss until evenly coated. Set aside and cool completely before using.
• Lightly oil an 11-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet. Working on a floured surface, roll dough into an 11-by-16-inch rectangle, then transfer it to the oiled baking sheet and press the dough to the sides. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange eggplant slices evenly over dough, and scatter tomatoes and sliced olives on top. Drizzle any leftover oil from the bottom of the eggplant bowl on pizza.
• Bake until edges and underside are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Using a spoon, top with dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper and basil leaves on top, and drizzle with olive oil. Serve warm or at room temperature.

ROASTED EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and arrange three racks evenly spaced.
• Lay the eggplant in one layer on three sheet pans and brush both sides with olive oil, using all the oil. Sprinkle with the oregano, crushing it lightly in your hands, then sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the slices and rotate the pans in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes, until tender. Leave the oven at 400 degrees F.
• In a 10 by 14 by 2-inch ceramic baking dish, spread a third of the marinara sauce. Arrange a third of the eggplant on top in one layer. Scatter a third of the basil, a third of the mozzarella, a third of the goat cheese, and a third of the Parmesan on top. Repeat twice, starting with the marinara and ending with the Parmesan, making sure each layer is evenly distributed.
• For the topping, place the bread crumbs, garlic, and basil in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt and pulse to moisten the crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the dish.
• Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.

ROASTED EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with a layer of paper towel or a clean kitchen towel. Trim off the top and bottom of the eggplant and slice into 2-centimeter (1-inch) thick disks. Place the slices in a single layer onto the paper towel lined baking sheet and evenly sprinkle both sides with the kosher salt.
• Allow the salted eggplant to sit for about 20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Meanwhile, for the sauce, combine the tomatoes and their juices with the butter, halved onion and Parmesan rind, if using, in a medium saucepan. Pick the basil leaves from the stems, add the stems to the tomatoes and set the leaves aside. Place a lid on the pan so that it is a little off kilter to allow steam out and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes, or even longer for a more intense tomato flavor.
• Pat the eggplant dry with some paper towel or a clean kitchen towel and remove from the baking sheet. Coat the bottom of the baking sheet with the olive oil and arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer. Flip the eggplant slices over to coat both sides in oil. Season with pepper and a bit more salt (don't worry, lots of the salt that you previously put on has been wiped away so the eggplant won't taste super salty). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown on both sides.
• Remove the eggplant from the oven and top each with a spoon of the tomato sauce and sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Return the eggplant to the oven and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
• To serve, spoon some sauce onto your plates and divide and stack the roasted eggplant parm on top. Tear up the fresh mozzarella and basil leaves, scatter on top and season with salt and pepper.

STUFFED FOCACCIA WITH ROASTED EGGPLANT AND OREGANO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
• Slice eggplant into 1/2-inch slices. Salt the eggplant and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes; rinse the slices and pat dry. Brush them with olive oil, sprinkle with thyme, and season with pepper. Place the slices on a baking sheet and roast, not turning, until brown and tender, about 30 minutes. Let cool.
• Separate the dough into 4 rounds. Roll them out into 8 to 10-inch circles. Brush 2 of them with olive oil and lay half the eggplant in the middle of each. Top each with half the tomato sauce, some fresh oregano, half the mozzarella, and 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Top each with a round of dough and crimp the edges to make a seal (like a pie). Pierce the top crust to allow steam to vent, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with remaining parmesan.
• Position your oven racks to the upper most and lowest positions. Place 2 large baking sheets on the racks and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Carefully remove the sheets and dust them with cornmeal. Transfer the rounds to the baking sheets and brush each with some olive oil. Bake until the crusts are light brown on the bottom, about 20 minutes. When slightly cool, slice like a pie into 8 wedges.

KITTENCAL'S PARMESAN FOCACCIA

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine 3/4 cup warm water with 1 teaspoon sugar, and dry yeast, mix to slightly combine; cover with a tea towel and let stand for 8-10 minutes or until foamy.
• Fit a heavy-duty stand mixer with kneader hook.
• In the stainless steel mixer bowl add in 4-1/2 cups flour, 3 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/3 cup oil.
• After the yeast is proofed add it into the bowl with the remaining 1 cup warm water and start kneading (you might want to use the paddle attachment for this and then switch over to the kneader blade for kneading).
• Knead for about 8 minutes adding in more flour as needed to create a soft semi-sticky dough.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, cover with a clean tea towel and let rest for 8-10 minutes.
• Gather up dough and knead lightly for about 15 seconds so dough will come together nicely.
• Place the dough into a well-oiled bowl (turning to coat in oil).
• Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and let rise for about 50 minutes to 1 hour (depending on how warm your kitchen is, I rise my dough in a pre-warmed oven).
• Punch down and divide evenly in half.
• At this point you can place each piece of dough in an oiled bowl, cover and refrigerate to make later, or freeze, placing the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, or more will make it easier to shape into the pan.
• Very lightly spray two 13x9-inch baking pans and sprinkle each with about 2 tablespoons cornmeal or more, or line bottoms with parchment paper.
• Place a piece of dough in the pan, then with fingers, press out and the up sides slightly by about 1/2-inch (if the dough will not shape good, just let dough rest covered for about 5 minutes, the continue shaping) don't worry if the dough is uneven or tears a bit.
• Cover each pan with a towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 20-30 minutes, or until about doubled.
• Set oven to 400°F.
• Lightly brush each top of dough with oil (can use olive or regular oil), then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, black pepper and Kosher salt or coarse salt.
• With lightly-oiled fingers make indentations (about 1/2-inch deep) and 1-inch apart all over the dough.
• Bake for about 20-22 minutes or until golden.
• Delicious!

STUFFED FOCCACIA WITH ROASTED EGGPLANT AND OREGANO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
• Slice eggplant into 1/2-inch slices. Salt the eggplant and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes; rinse the slices and pat dry. Brush them with olive oil, sprinkle with thyme, and season with pepper. Place the slices on a baking sheet and roast, not turning, until brown and tender, about 30 minutes. Let cool.
• Separate the dough into 4 rounds. Roll them out into 8 to 10-inch circles. Brush 2 of them with olive oil and lay half the eggplant in the middle of each. Top each with half the tomato sauce, some fresh oregano, half the mozzarella, and 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Top each with a round of dough and crimp the edges to make a seal (like a pie). Pierce the top crust to allow steam to vent, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with remaining parmesan.
• Position your oven racks to the upper most and lowest positions. Place 2 large baking sheets on the racks and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Carefully remove the sheets and dust them with cornmeal. Transfer the rounds to the baking sheets and brush each with some olive oil. Bake until the crusts are light brown on the bottom, about 20 minutes. When slightly cool, slice like a pie into 8 wedges.