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No-Fry Neapolitan Eggplant Parmesan
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At the family-owned trattoria La Tavernetta Vittozzi in Naples, Anna Vittozzi taught us to make a lighter, brighter eggplant Parmesan that still was rich with cheese and tangy with tomato sauce. The secret? Skip the breading. Though the Vittozzi version involved pan-frying eggplant, we found we could achieve similar results by roasting olive oil-brushed slices in the oven. This easier, more hands-off approach yields golden-brown, silky-textured eggplant, perfect for layering with a simple tomato sauce and fresh basil, plus plenty of cheese. In addition to umami-packed Parmesan, the Vittozzis used smoked provolone, which added a delicious depth and savoriness to the dish. Smoked mozzarella might be easier to find in the U.S., and it’s a fine stand-in, as is scamorza cheese. If none of those are options, opt for low-moisture mozzarella cheese but avoid fresh mozzarella, which contains too much water.
6 to 8
Servings
Tip
Don’t peel off all of the skin from the eggplants. Remove the skin in interval strips so the eggplants looked striped. The skin helps hold the flesh together, so if all of it is peeled away, the eggplant slices too easily fall apart after cooking.
1¾ hours
plus cooling
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
5 1-pound globe eggplants
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons salted butter, cut into 3 pieces
8 ounces smoked provolone, smoked mozzarella or smoked scamorza cheese, shredded (2 cups), divided
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated (1 cup), divided
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil, torn
Ingredients
-
7
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
-
5
1-pound globe eggplants
-
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
-
1
medium yellow onion, finely chopped
-
1
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
-
3
tablespoons salted butter, cut into 3 pieces
-
8
ounces smoked provolone, smoked mozzarella or smoked scamorza cheese, shredded (2 cups), divided
-
2
ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated (1 cup), divided
-
1
cup lightly packed fresh basil, torn
Directions
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01Heat the oven to 425°F with racks in the upper- and lower-middle positions. Brush 2 rimmed baking sheets with 2 tablespoons oil each.
-
02Remove half of the skin from each eggplant. To do this, using a vegetable peeler and working from top to bottom, peel off strips of skin about 1 inch apart. Cut the eggplants crosswise into ¼-inch-thick rounds, then arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets, slightly overlapping.
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03Brush the eggplant with 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil, then sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Roast until the slices are spottily browned, the edges are slightly crisped and the moisture has cooked off, 35 to 40 minutes; halfway through, use a wide metal spatula to flip the slices, then switch the positions of the baking sheets. Remove from the oven; leave the oven on.
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04Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium-low, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil until shimmering. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, butter, ½ teaspoon pepper and ½ cup water. Bring to a simmer, then reduce to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool for 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
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05Measure 1 cup of the tomato sauce into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and spread to cover the bottom. Arrange one-third of the eggplant on top of the tomato sauce, overlapping the slices if needed, then sprinkle evenly with 1 cup provolone, ¼ cup Parmesan and about half of the basil. Spoon on another ¾ cup tomato sauce and spread evenly. Layer on half of the remaining eggplant, followed by the remaining provolone, ¼ cup of the remaining Parmesan and the remaining basil. Spoon on another ¾ cup sauce and layer on the remaining eggplant. Cover with the remaining sauce, spreading it evenly, then sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.
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06Bake on the lower rack until the edges are bubbling and the cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
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Reviews
February 15, 2024
Great roasted eggplant flavor
Proper roasting of eggplant is key. Made some shortcuts like jarred sauce and no eggplant peeling. Added a Boursin in the center layer. There was a lot of liquid but I didn’t mind it.
June 17, 2023
Terrific!
This was absolutely delicious. I made 2 minor changes - I minced 2 fat garlic cloves and added them with the onions and added 1/4 t crushed red pepper with the tomatoes. I couldn't find smoked provolone,so I used smoked mozzarella, which was very good. It could only be even more amazing with smoked provolone, so I will try to find it before I make it again. Either the called for amount of eggplant was off or the instruction to only slightly overlap the slices was wrong. I had about 23 slices left over that could not fit on the baking sheets and never would have fit in the baking dish. Next time, I'll either buy less eggplant or overlap them a lot more.
June 2, 2023
Great dish
My wife is a huge eggplant fan and I probably make eggplant parm as often as any other dish. I've done it lots of different ways. I don't know if you can ever beat breaded and fried for flavor. But I try to stay low carb, and this was the best non-breaded recipe I've ever made. I used smoked provolone slices along with shredded smoked mozz. Outstanding, thanks MS
May 30, 2023
Oh my god, you're kidding me!!
I can't believe how much flavor this dish has with only a few ingredients!! I'm totally making this again as I purchased too many eggplants. I love this very easy dish!
May 10, 2023
Could be my best eggplant parm ever!
I've made many an eggplant parm. All were good, but most involved a lot of oil and a lot of frying. This recipe does away with all that oil and frying in favor of baking the eggplant (btw; I used three large globe eggplant which were enough). Final product came out sweet, light, and delicious. Will make this my new, go-to recipe. Thanks!
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