Eggplant parmigiana: the classic recipe and the most famous variations

Eggplant parmigiana is a timeless classic of our cuisine, with a thousand different recipes and a disputed paternity. Raise your hand if you've never eaten it!

Who doesn't know or has never tasted aubergine parmigiana? There are those who are faithful to the classic version and there are those who try to make the parmigiana light and grill the aubergines instead of frying them, yet it is always the same: a delicious and very rich dish that satisfies the stomach and throat.

Each family has its own recipe: there are those who flour the aubergines or even bread them, those who add mortadella and hard-boiled eggs, those who even make a layer of fried potatoes. Even the parental authority of this recipe is disputed: Sicily, Campania and the city of Parma claim it, but none have yet won .

If in doubt, we leave you our version of aubergines parmigiana: the classic recipe and the most famous variations.

• Parmigiana, the original recipe
• Not fried parmesan
• White parmesan
• Air fryer eggplant parmigiana
• How to fry aubergines
• Conservation
• History

Preparation of the aubergine parmigiana recipe (fried)

1. In a pan, heat a clove of garlic in a spoonful of extra virgin olive oil. When golden, add the puree, sugar and salt. In the recipe we added a teaspoon of sugar . Why? This ingredient will act as an acidity corrector: it's a grandma's trick that won't change the taste of the sauce.
2. Let the sauce cook for at least 20 minutes and when cooked, add the basil. If you only have those at home, you can use blended peeled tomatoes instead of puree, but it will take a few more minutes of cooking.
3. In another pan, heat plenty of oil and fry the aubergines, washed, peeled and cut into slices about half a centimeter thick.
4. Remove them from the pan, drain them with a slotted spoon and leave them to cool on kitchen paper.
5. Cut the mozzarella into thin slices and let it drain, while preheating the oven to 180°C .
6. Take a not too large baking dish and arrange a first layer of sauce, then the aubergines and mozzarella.
7. Cover with more sauce and repeat the layers : the last, to have a nice crust, must be made of sauce and grated Parmesan.
8. Bake for 30 minutes, moving the pan to the top of the oven for the last 5 minutes , to have a crispier crust .
9. Serve your baked aubergine parmigiana hot!

Non-fried eggplant parmigiana

If you want to prepare the delicious dish while remaining lighter , dive into the non-fried aubergine parmigiana.

You will have to follow all the steps of the classic recipe, already explained previously (with the exact same ingredients), however modifying the treatment dedicated to the vegetables. Instead of frying, you simply have to grill the aubergines on a hot plate and then compose the layers of your grilled aubergine parmigiana. Finally, bake and respect the 30 minutes of cooking indicated, at 180°C.

You can also cook the aubergines in the oven . In this case, after cutting them into slices, place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and cook at 200°C for 20-25 minutes . Then use them as per the recipe.

By following this preparation you will halve the calories of classic parmigiana! In fact, the version with fried aubergines has 490 kcal per portion while, in the version with grilled vegetables, the calories are halved and are around 245 kcal per portion. Are you not satisfied? Do you want an even lighter recipe ? Then replace the mozzarella with fat-free mozzarella and avoid adding grated parmesan.

To learn more, we also leave you our light parmigiana : try it !

White aubergine parmigiana

Don't like tomatoes? Are you allergic or intolerant? We have the solution for you: the recipe for white parmigiana !

How to make aubergine parmigiana? The preparation is very simple: first of all you will have to eliminate the tomato puree, increase the quantity of fiordilatte mozzarella (300 g) and add a new ingredient (which will make everything tastier): sliced ​​ham (200 g).

1. First, carefully wash and cut the aubergines.
2. Heat the oil and fry them until they are golden brown on both sides.
3. Drain them on a sheet of absorbent paper and dry them carefully.
4. Now start with the assembly. Take a baking dish, grease it with a drizzle of EVO oil and start placing a first layer of fried aubergines.
5. Add diced (or sliced) mozzarella, a layer of ham and complete the layer with Parmesan .
6. Continue with the layers until you run out of ingredients (or space in the baking dish).
7. Bake at 180°C in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes.
8. Once ready, serve it immediately hot to your guests and enjoy your meal!

Air fryer eggplant parmigiana

We have learned to know and appreciate this small appliance because of its versatility but above all for the goodness of the dishes it allows us to churn out. Like a small oven, it gives crunchiness and concentrates all the flavours . Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan is no exception.

Light and tasty, it allows us to enjoy the flavor of this typical traditional dish without turning on the oven . The process is very simple and you can use fried aubergines, grilled ones or cook them in an air fryer too.

We chose this route by cooking them in slices for 15 minutes and then assembling the dish in a pan of a suitable size. The layers are the usual: tomato flavored with basil, oil and salt, parmesan and well-drained mozzarella cut into slices. Try it and you won't regret it!

How to fry aubergines

For perfect frying of your aubergines we must start from the vegetable. The best aubergines are in fact the round or oblong purple ones with a firm texture. As for the consistency, the truth is that it can vary from time to time, in fact not all aubergines are the same.

Once you have chosen the best aubergines, wash them carefully in running water and cut them into thin slices of about half a centimeter . At this point you can take two paths: decide to heat the oil and fry them or let them purge for at least 1 hour, adding coarse salt to each slice accompanied by a weight so that it releases all the excess liquids.

Now let's move on to decorating the slices for frying: you can immerse them in boiling oil (being careful not to reach smoking temperature) without any breading , or you can lightly pass them on a plate with some white flour or, again, bread them with egg, flour and breadcrumbs. Depending on your choice, the vegetables will obtain a different consistency as well as a different degree of heaviness (the parmigiana with aubergines breaded and fried with egg and breadcrumbs is called Neapolitan, and is absolutely the most caloric of all).

Conservation

Store your parmigiana for a couple of days in the fridge, covered with cling film or inside an airtight container. Alternatively, freeze it already cooked in convenient single portions to defrost when necessary.

A little history on the origin of the parmigiana recipe

Eggplant parmigiana has uncertain origins: essentially Sicily, Parma and Naples (but not only them) are competing for the title. There are many theories that see one place excelling over another in the discovery of this traditional recipe , which has nothing to envy of the great culinary classics of the nation.

Bear in mind that each place makes it a little differently, there doesn't seem to be an original recipe for aubergine parmigiana. For example, in Sicily aubergines are fried without breading , while Neapolitan aubergine parmigiana cannot be cooked without breading the vegetable with eggs and flour. Then there is also the Palermo version, where it is not baked in the oven, and other versions that season it with every delicacy such as hard-boiled egg, salami, ham and more.

The term parmigiana seems to derive from the Sicilian term parmiciana , which means shield and identifies the wooden strips of which a Venetian blind is made.

Whatever its origins, we want to remind you that this is absolutely not a light or "diet" recipe, on the contrary, the bill on the scale is quite salty! We recommend enjoying it as a main dish and… try not to think about it: it's so good that every calorie will be worth it!

For a delicious variation, also try the courgette parimigiana . Finally, we leave you all the bestrecipes with aubergines !