Grandma's Italian Eggplant Parmigiana

This heirloom family Italian eggplant parmesan recipe came stateside with my grandmother when she immigrated from Italy. Growing up in a house with Italian sauce made every Sunday, this eggplant dish was always a favorite. Using good quality ingredients is critical for this recipe. It is very time-consuming and laborious. It would be a shame to invest all of this time and effort with inferior ingredients only to be let down when you eat it later.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 50 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins
• Calories: 569 Calories

Ingredients

• 5 eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper, or to taste
• 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 medium Italian eggplants, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 3 tablespoons sea salt, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons water, room temperature
• 2 cups freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese, divided
• 40 ounces Italian-style tomato sauce
• 30 ounces freshly grated mozzarella cheese

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Step 2

Lay eggplant slices on top of paper towels and sprinkle with sea salt to draw out moisture. Cover with additional paper towels. Let sit, 8 hours to overnight.

Step 3

Place flour into a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add salt and pepper; shake the bag to mix. Place 6 eggplant slices into the bag, seal, and shake to coat.

Step 4

Beat eggs and water together using a fork in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 5

Heat 2 inches of oil over medium-high heat in a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Line baking sheets with paper towels to drain eggplants after frying.

Step 6

Shake excess flour from eggplant slices and place into egg mixture, turning to ensure both sides are coated. Allow excess egg mixture to drip off.

Step 7

Fry in hot oil until slightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to the paper towel-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle each slice with 1 tablespoon Pecorino Romano cheese. Repeat process until all eggplant slices are fried. Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Step 8

Pour a small amount of tomato sauce into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan to cover.

Step 9

Place 1/3 of the eggplant slices over sauce, slightly overlapping them. Sprinkle 1/3 of the remaining Pecorino-Romano cheese and Parmesan cheese evenly on top. Cover with a light layer of sauce. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese over sauce. Repeat for a total of 3 layers.

Step 10

Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes to set.