Three baked eggplant parmesan stacks with marinara sauce and melted cheese, garnished with basil, served on a decorative plate next to a jar of marinara sauce and a cooking pan.

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Easy Eggplant Parmigiana

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Eggplant Parmigiana is one of those dishes that feels like it belongs only to Sunday afternoons and big family productions , and while I love a full Sunday situation as much as anyone, sometimes you want all that flavor without the entire performance. This appetizer version gives you everything you love: tender eggplant slices dredged in flour and fried until golden, layered into gorgeous little stacks with melted mozzarella, my Marinara Sauce, and a snowy finish of Parmigiano-Reggiano. One pan, no fuss, and every bite tastes like Nonna would be proud!

Easy Eggplant Parmigiana

Ingredients

1 small eggplant, ends trimmed and cut into rounds about 1/4-inch thick
Salt, as needed
1 cup '00' Flour
Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
6 fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 cups The Pasta Queen Marinara Sauce
1 (8 ounce) ball of fresh mozzarella, torn by hand into bite-sized pieces
Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated, as needed

Method

If you have time, add the eggplant slices to a flat surface and salt generously. Let sit for about 30 minutes to weep, then pat dry. If you do not have time, you can skip this step.
If you salted the eggplant, wash off the salt, then pat dry with paper towels to get rid of excess water. Place the flour in a small bowl, then generously coat each eggplant slice in the flour, shaking off any excess.
In a large sauté pan, add abut 1/4 cup of olive oil and heat over medium heat. Test if the oil is hot enough by adding the end of a wooden spoon to the oil. If the oil bubbles up around it immediately, it's ready for frying.
When the oil is ready, add a layer of coated eggplant, taking care not to crowd the pan. Fry the eggplant for about 5 minutes on each side, or until deeply golden brown. Set aside on a paper towel lined plate to drain, then repeat with remaining eggplant slices. Once all the eggplant has been fried, salt them.
Remove some of the oil from the skillet (you can save it for another use) leaving about 2 tablespoons behind. Set it to low heat, then add the basil and let it infuse into the oil until very fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the marinara and a pinch of salt and let simmer for about 5 minutes.
With the heat on very low, layer three slices of fried eggplant into the pan, then spoon some sauce on top of each. Top each slice with a generous amount of mozzarella and Parmigiano, then add another eggplant slice on top. Repeat this layering process for two more layers. Cover the pan and increase the heat to medium. Let cook until the cheese has melted, about 2 to 3 minutes.

1 Cutting board

1 Large sauté pan