Do you need to salt eggplant?

Salting eggplant is optional. With especially large or bitter eggplant, salting will help remove the bitterness through "sweating" but this is generally not mandatory. You can also soak the eggplant in salted water, again, this is optional.

Do you need to peel eggplant before cooking?

No need to peel eggplant as eggplant peels are edible and soften after cooking. If new to cooking eggplant or uncomfortable with the skin- feel free to remove part of the skin using a vegetable peeler, peeling in stripes.

Do you need to rinse the salt off the eggplant?

If salting the eggplant- depending on the recipe you may need to rinse, or only pat dry. Refer to the particular recipe.

What is the best way to cook eggplant?

Eggplant is a versatile vegetable in the kitchen and be cooked in many ways. Most typically it is grilled, baked, or stir-fried. But other methods work great too- smoked eggplant is heavenly, as well and pickled!

25 Succulent Eggplant Recipes: Eggplant Parmesan

Description

25 Succulent Eggplant recipes the whole family will love- from Moussaka to Baba Ganoush, to the Best Eggplant Parmesan (recipe below), you’ll find inspiration here!

Ingredients

Units Scale

2 extra large eggplants, cut into -1/3 inch thick rounds ( 24 or 27 slices)
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs (panko is lighter than traditional breadcrumbs)
2 cups parmesan cheese (divided) save 3/4 cup for assembly.
1 teaspoon dried oregano (or thyme, or sub 1 tablespoon fresh)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
Spray olive oil or olive oil for drizzling
28 ounces Marinara Sauce (store-bought or make your own)
12 ounces fresh mozzarella balls, 2 large balls thinly sliced (or use grated)
Garnish: fresh basil, chili flakes

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 425F
Peel eggplant in 1-inch strips, leaving 1-inch strips of peel on. Cut into ⅓-inch slices.
In a wide shallow bowl, whisk eggs, water, and salt. In another wide shallow bowl mix panko with 1 1/4 cups parmesan, oregano, salt and chili flakes.
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment. Dip the eggplant slices into the egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then dredge each side into panko mixture. Place on the sheet pans, repeating til all are done. Sprinkle any excess panko-parmesan mixture over top. Spray or drizzle generously with olive oil. Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden and crispy. The goal here is to get the eggplant golden and crispy, so be patient here. All ovens are different, this may take longer- feel free to use your boiler.
Assemble: Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. Cover the bottom with ¾ cups marinara sauce. Saving the best-looking pieces for the top, place a layer of crispy eggplant on the bottom. Drizzle with ½ of the remaining marinara, sprinkle with ¼ cup parmesan and half of the sliced mozzarella. Add the final layer of eggplant, cover with remaining marinara, sprinkle with remaining parmesan, and top with slices of mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper and more chili flakes if you like.
Bake at 400 F uncovered for 20-25 minutes until beautifully golden and edges are bubbling.
Garnish with basil ribbons.

Notes

Storage: Leftovers Eggplant Parmasan will keep up to 4 days in the fridge for freeze for up to 6 months.

Salting: Feel free to salt the eggplant before making this- slice and salt each piece, let stand 30 minutes. Rinse an pat dry.

Parmesan: Use high-quality fresh grated parmesan if possible and even though this is called “Eggplant Parmesan” I love using half-pecorino cheese here for optimum flavor.

Lightened-up version: You can roast the eggplant without any breading, or just bread one side for a lighter option.

Gluten-Free Use gluten-free bread crumbs, or use roasted eggplant instead of breaded eggplant.

Nutrition

Serving Size:
Calories: 447
Sugar: 23.4 g
Sodium: 2817 mg
Fat: 14.2 g
Saturated Fat: 4.1 g
Carbohydrates: 51.8 g
Fiber: 10.2 g
Protein: 27.7 g
Cholesterol: 66 mg

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