🍆 Eggplant parmigiana (parmigiana di melanzane)
Parmigiana di melanzane is a southern Italian bake of fried or roasted eggplant slices layered with tomato sauce, mozzarella, parmesan and basil. The eggplant becomes meltingly soft, the cheese stretchy and the top golden. It is served in squares, warm or at room temperature, as a main course or a generous side.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants (about 1 kg), sliced 1 cm thick
- 700 g tomato sauce
- 300 g mozzarella, sliced
- 80 g parmesan, grated
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Fresh basil, salt
Method
- Salt the eggplant slices for 30 minutes, pat dry, brush with oil and roast at 220 °C until golden.
- Spread sauce in a baking dish and layer eggplant, sauce, mozzarella, parmesan and basil.
- Repeat the layers, finishing with sauce and parmesan.
- Bake at 190 °C for 35 minutes and rest 15 minutes before cutting.
How to make it lighter
- Roast the eggplant instead of deep-frying: it soaks up far less oil.
- Measure the oil: 1 tbsp olive oil ≈ 120 kcal.
- Cut into 8 squares instead of 6 and serve with a salad.
History
Both Campania and Sicily claim the dish, and its exact origin is debated. The name is often linked to parmesan, though some suggest it comes from the Sicilian word for the slats of a shutter, recalling the overlapping layers. It is a fixture of Sunday and holiday tables in southern Italy.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →