I love this Eggplant Parmesan with Crisp Crumb Topping as it is the ultimate Italian comfort food. The beauty of this dish is that once it is assembled, the dish can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. I love to serve this eggplant Parm with a fresh green salad and some crusty Italian or Homemade Black Olive Bread.
To make this, start by frying slices of eggplant. Assemble the dish by layering delicate slices of the fried eggplant with fresh, tangy tomato sauce, gooey fresh mozzarella and topped with crispy dry bread crumbs. Delicious!
To make my Eggplant Parmesan with Crisp Crumb Topping, you will need the following ingredients:
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 finely chopped onion and 3 finely chopped garlic cloves and saute for about 5 minutes until tender.
Use your hands to crush the whole tomatoes into the skillet with the onions and garlic. Bring the sauce to a simmer and continue to cook over medium-low heat. Simmer and stir occasionally for about 25 minutes until the sauce is very thick.
Transfer the tomato sauce to a food processor and blend until completely smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Heat ¼ inch of olive oil in a large skillet. Season the eggplant slices with salt and pepper. Work in batches to cook the eggplant slices over medium-high heat, turning once. Cook until golden on both sides. Add more olive oil to the skillet between batches. Drain cooked eggplant slices on a paper towel lined plate.
Preheat the oven to 400 °F.
Spoon 1 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish and spread out evenly. Arrange ⅓ of the fried eggplant slices on the sauce. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the chopped basil over the eggplant. Top with ⅓ of the torn mozzarella and sprinkle with ⅓ cup of the grated cheese. Repeat the layers twice.
Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of bread crumbs all over the top of the eggplant Parmesan.
Bake for about 45 minutes until the top of the eggplant Parmesan is golden and the sauce is bubbling.
Allow the eggplant Parmesan to stand and cool for about 15 minutes.
Serve with salad and fresh Italian bread.
This Eggplant Parmesan with Crisp Crumb Topping is a delicious dish you can prepare in advance. Try it out soon and don’t forget to tag #cookmerecipes in your Italian cooking posts.
Delicious and ultimate Italian comfort food. Thanks for sharing!
