Eggplant Parmesan for Two? Absolutely! Layers of lightly breaded eggplant slices melted mozzarella cheese and a tomato sauce - it's a wonderful meal for two that bakes in just under 25 minutes.
Eggplant Parmesan is a classic Italian dish and one of my favorite comfort foods. Layered slices of eggplant, mozzarella, and tomato sauce are baked until bubbly. It's like eating lasagna but with slices of eggplant instead of pasta.
Glorious purple globes are filling the produce bins and my CSA plants are bursting with eggplant ready to be harvested. So, I thought, what a great way to have a hearty meal without meat for a meatless Monday!
Eggplant is hearty and meaty enough to not leave you feeling hungry, basically it's the vegetarian version of chicken parmesan.
Okay, so what is the trick to making eggplant parmesan that has that crispy exterior and is less soggy? Read on…..
IN THIS POST, YOU WILL LEARN:
- BEST METHOD FOR MAKING EGGPLANT PARMESAN?
- WHAT'S IN THIS EGGPLANT PARMESAN FOR TWO
- BEST DISHES TO USE
- CAN YOU MAKE EGGPLANT PARMESAN AHEAD OF TIME?
- HOW DO I CHOOSE AN EGGPLANT?
BEST METHOD FOR MAKING EGGPLANT PARMESAN
There are two tips I have for making great eggplant parmesan. First, pull the moisture out of the eggplant resulting in a crispier and less soggy eggplant parmesan dish.
The second is to skip frying and bake the slices coated in flour, eggs, and panko seasoned with parmesan cheese. Leave the top layer of eggplant exposed so it stays crisp.
PULLING THE MOISTURE OUT OF THE EGGPLANT
Sprinkle kosher salt on the eggplant slices! Use kosher salt because its coarse grains don't dissolve as readily as the fine grains of table salt, so any excess can be easily wiped away.
Pro Tip: While the salted eggplant sits prepare the seasoned panko, cheeses, and sauce.
After about 30 minutes, you will notice that about 2 tablespoons of liquid has been released. Now we will use a trick, I learned from American Test Kitchens, to remove even more liquid.
Arrange the slices on at least three layers of paper towels; cover with another triple layer of paper towels. Press firmly on each slice to absorb as much liquid as possible, dust off the excess salt, you are now ready to start making eggplant parmesan.
SKIP THE FRYING AND BAKE THE EGGPLANT SLICES
Pre-heat a rimmed baking sheet while you heat the oven to 425 degrees, for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, dip the eggplant in flour, egg, and seasoned panko breadcrumbs. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, add 2 tablespoons of oil to the baking sheet, making sure to cover evenly.
Place the prepared eggplant slices in a single layer. Bake the slices until golden brown, flipping after 15 minutes. This is a healthier version than frying and limits the amount of oil the eggplant absorbs while crisping the exterior.
After baking the eggplant, I lay it on a wire cooling rack so air can get circulate on both sides. We want the breading to stay crisp and not allow the heat and condensation to get trapped on the bottom and turn the breading soggy.
WHAT'S IN THIS EGGPLANT PARMESAN FOR TWO?
Eggplant Lightly breaded: Use 1 small eggplant which weighs roughly 11 ounces. I dip the slices of eggplant in a beaten egg and then dredge the eggplant in a mixture of panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. If you want to make a low-carb Eggplant Parmesan, you can leave out the bread crumbs.
Panko Breadcrumbs: I use store-bought since they yield a nice, crisp coating.
Egg: 2 large beaten eggs are used to dip the slices of eggplant in before dredging in the breadcrumbs. The egg helps the breadcrumbs stick to the eggplant slices.
Parmesan cheese: Shredded Parmesan cheese is mixed with the panko breadcrumbs for the coating and added as a topping to the Eggplant Parmesan before baking.
Vegetable oil to bake the eggplant slices
Mozzarella cheese: A classic ingredient found in this layered eggplant dish. If possible splurge and buy burrata - I love the creaminess of burrata.
Tomato sauce: I purchase a spicy tomato or spicy red pepper tomato sauce. Buy whatever sauce you really love.
BEST DISHES TO USE
For this Eggplant Parmesan For Two recipe, we use a 7-inch round baking dish.
Alternative baking dishes:
- 5x5-inch baking dish
- 4x6-inch baking dish
- 6x6-inch baking dish
CAN YOU MAKE EGGPLANT PARMESAN AHEAD OF TIME?
Yes! However, the breading might end up a little soggy.
MAKE AHEAD TIPS
One option is to salt, bread, and bake your eggplant ahead of time. After it cools, you can place it in a plastic bag and put it in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the dish
Assembling the dish ahead of time risks the marinara sauce turning the breading soggy - BUT if you truly do want to prep ahead of time and don't mind that it's a little soggy, you can assemble the entire casserole dish at this point then cover it and place it in the fridge
I recommend you take the casserole dish out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before placing in the oven, this avoids potential cracking of the casserole dish and provides even warming of the eggplant.
Another option is to bake the casserole the day before, cool it, then cover and refrigerate. To reheat, bake it again at 350°F until hot in the center and the cheese and sauce around the edges begin to bubble.
STORING LEFTOVERS
Eggplant Parmesan will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave, oven, or toaster oven.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Wondering what to serve with your Eggplant Parmesan? I'd suggest simple side dishes, like roasted vegetables, simple green salad, or a side or pasta and marinara sauce.
HOW DO I CHOOSE AN EGGPLANT?
Although eggplant is available year-round, eggplant is at its peak from July to October. To pick the best eggplant, here are a couple of things to keep in mind:
- Look for Smooth and Shiny. The first thing I notice is the skin: does it look smooth and shiny, or do you notice blemishes or soft spots? If so, it has been handled poorly which could indicate poor quality and not a very good tasting eggplant.
- Pick it up and give it the squeeze test. An eggplant should be slightly firm but not hard. If you push on the skin of the eggplant and it feels soft, it's most likely too ripe and will not work well in an eggplant parmesan. We want the eggplant slices to maintain a hearty texture. So, a perfectly ripe eggplant won't have much give when gently pressed.
- Is the stem green? The stem of the eggplant should be green and free from mold or softness Choose a smaller eggplant. Large eggplants may be more bitter.
- Use the eggplant within a week!
Read more about picking the best eggplant at the market, an article from bon appetite.
I found this article helpful if you are looking for information on how to harvest eggplant.
Eggplant Parmesan For Two
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Equipment
- Baking sheet, baking rack, pie plates, casserole/baking dish (see section on best dishes to use)
Ingredients
- 1 small globe eggplant about 11 ounces, cut crosswise into ¼-inch-thick rounds
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- salt and ground black pepper
- ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 5 basil leaves for garnish, julienne
- 24 ounces jarred tomato pasta sauce
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded, about 1 cup
Instructions
PULLING THE MOISTURE OUT OF THE EGGPLANT.
- Sprinkle kosher salt on half of the eggplant slices in a large bowl. Transfer the salted eggplant slices to a large colander and set in the sink or over a bowl. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, placing on top of the first batch in the colander. While the salted eggplant sits, prepare the seasoned panko, cheeses, and sauce.After about 30 minutes, you will notice that about 2 tablespoons liquid has been released.Arrange the slices on at least three layers of paper towels; cover with another triple layer of paper towels. Press firmly on each slice to absorb as much liquid as possible, dust off the excess salt.
- Meanwhile, adjust oven racks to lower - middle position, place rimmed baking sheet in the oven and pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper into a pie plate; set aside.
- Combine flour and ½ teaspoon pepper in large zipper-lock bag; shake to combine. Beat eggs in second pie plate. Place about 6 to 8 eggplant slices in bag with flour; seal the bag and shake to coat eggplant evenly with flour. Remove eggplant slices, shaking off excess flour, dip in eggs, let excess egg run off, then coat evenly with the panko and parmesan mixture. I set the breaded slices on a wire rack and continue to bread the remaining eggplant.
- Remove the preheated baking sheet from oven; add 2 tablespoons oil to the baking sheet, tilting to coat evenly with oil. Place breaded eggplant in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake until eggplant is well browned and crisp, about 30 minutes. Flipping eggplant slices with wide spatula after 20 minutes. Remove from oven and place eggplant slices on a cooling rack. Now you are ready to assemble the dish.
ASSEMBLE THE CASSEROLE
- Spread
½ cup tomato sauce in bottom of baking dish. Layer in half of eggplant slices, overlapping slices to fit; distribute ½ cup sauce over eggplant; sprinkle with half of mozzarella or burrata. Layer in remaining eggplant and dot with ½ cup sauce, leaving majority of eggplant exposed so it will remain crisp; sprinkle with¼ cup Parmesan and remaining mozzarella. Bake until bubbling and cheese is browned, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; garnish with basil, and serve, passing remaining tomato sauce separately.
Video
Notes
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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