This classic parmigiana di melanzane makes a wonderful Sunday lunch, which will take your mind on a trip to Italy. It is surprisingly easy to prepare yet a real eye-catcher. You’ll love this soul-warming dish with soft and golden aubergines combined, delicious tomato sauce and gooey cheese.
Parmigiana is one of the famous Italian dishes ( yeah, there’s more than just pasta) made with aubergines or you can call them eggplants or melanzane in Italian. Parmigiana’s home is Sicily. The island is known for its good food and amazing dishes.
I have been there a couple of years ago and I loved the food. All the dishes are rich and very tasty. So the Parmigiana di melanzane is the first, most original and unique version. Next to it, you have other variations, with different vegetables or meat like veal or chicken.
I did the “unique” one; with aubergines, delicious tomato sauce and three kinds of cheese. Besides the classic parmesan cheese, I also used cream cheese and lovely smoked cheese slices. Cheese, cheese and cheese. Yummy!
Furthermore, rather than filling up the whole baking dish, I found cutting the aubergine into discs or round slices and making three-layer stacks, makes putting together the dish way easier and it gives more stability to it, too.
In order to prevent the parmigiana from falling over, I made lower stacks, which I then, after baking, put together in one higher, 6 aubergine layer parmigiana. Yes! For two portions you’ll need four stacks.
Additionally, if preparing the parmigiana di melanzane this way, you will always have a lovely looking dish. I don’t know about you, but cutting a slice of parmigiana out of a baking dish is always a struggle. And in the end, it never looks so fantastic. Right? This time was absolutely beautiful.
Here are the ingredients for 4 big or 6 normal portions of parmigiana di melanzane:
- 2 big aubergines
- olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion (chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
- 500 ml of tomato puree (canned)
- 6 basil leaves (sliced)
- 4 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese (grated)
- 2 Tbsp of Philadelphia cheese
- about 20 small and thin slices of smoked cheese (or any cheese)
- salt and pepper
To begin, wash and cut the aubergines in 1 cm thick round slices and place them on a wire rack. Sprinkle all the slices with salt and leave them for 60 minutes. Aubergines will release a lot of water. You might place some paper towels under the rack.
In the meantime, prepare the sauce. Drizzle some olive oil in a medium pan or pot, chop the garlic and onion and slice the basil. When the oil gets hot, add the onion and saute it until softened. Then, add the tomato puree, garlic and basil and bring to a light simmer. At this point, season with salt and pepper, stir a little, cover the pan and when it gets dense remove from the stove.
Now it’s time to get back to the aubergines. Wash the slices under cold running water and dry them well with paper towels or with a clean kitchen towel. Using a kitchen brush, spread some olive oil on both sides of each slice.
Then, place a larger non-sticking pan on the stove and heat it up. After the pan gets hot, add the aubergine slices in one single layer. That means you’ll probably put 5 slices at once. Grill them on both sides for about 3 min or until golden. and place them on a plate. After all the slices are golden, let them sit for a while (10 min) to cool down.
This is a perfect time to slice the cheese into 2 mm thick slices. It is time to build the Parmigiana now. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Take a ceramic baking pan (it can also be a clay or glass pan) and spread half a spoon of tomato sauce at the bottom, where you’ll “build” your parmigiana di melanzane.
In order to make it more stable, I made four stacks, which make two portions. As I described above, only after baking time, I placed two stacks on top of each other.
Moreover, place a slice of aubergine, continue with a spoon of tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of cream cheese, parmesan and a slice of smoked cheese, then, another aubergine slice, tomato sauce and finish with plenty of parmesan cheese. Now do the same with the other stacks.
Put the baking pan in the oven on the middle rack and bake it for 30 – 40 min until golden, crisp and bubbly. After the parmigiana di melanzane is baked, let it sit for 10-15 minutes. In this period of time, it will get firmer and it will be easier to manage.
Finally, it is time to serve the parmigiana di melanzane. Place the first stack on the plate and the second one on top of it. This is a perfect dish to enjoy with your family on a beautiful Sunday. Maybe serve it with a glass of some lovely wine.
Enjoy!
