Melanzane alla parmigiana: crisp-fried eggplant layered with tomato, mozzarella, and basil, baked until molten. Worth every stage.
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
6
Before you start
Mise en place
Equipment
Large skillet
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Prep checklist
Eggplant — in 1 cm rounds
Eggs — beaten
Canned Tomatoes — simmered with garlic into sauce
Vegetable Oil — for frying
4 steps
Method
1
Salt the eggplant rounds and rest 30 minutes; pat dry firmly.
30 min — timer available in cooking mode
Why this works
Salting pulls the water that would otherwise steam your crust soggy — the old-school step that still earns its keep.
2
Bread each round — flour, egg, panko — and shallow-fry to deep gold, 2–3 minutes a side. Drain on a rack.
15 min — timer available in cooking mode
3
Layer sauce, eggplant, mozzarella, parmesan, and basil twice over; finish with sauce and both cheeses.
4
Bake at 190°C until bubbling with bronzed edges, 30–35 minutes. Rest 15 before cutting.
33 min — timer available in cooking mode
From the pass
Chef's notes
Taste before serving and adjust salt and acid — the last 30 seconds of seasoning matter more than any single ingredient.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days; reheat gently with a splash of water.
Freezing
Freezes well up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating
Reheat gently: covered in a 160°C oven for 15 minutes, or in a pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock. The microwave works at 50% power in short bursts — full blast toughens proteins.
Make ahead
Most braises and sauces improve overnight. Sear-and-serve dishes: do every step up to the final cook, then finish fresh.
Wine pairing
A mid-weight Italian red — Montepulciano d'Abruzzo was born for this.
Beer pairing
Match intensity: lagers for delicate dishes, amber ales for roasted flavors, stouts for the rich and braised.