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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.
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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
May 17, 2024
Light flavorful Lasagna
I made this lasagna with zuccunni's instead of eggplant, my husband Patrick said it was the best Lasagna I've ever made. That was 2 weeks ago, and I made it again last night. It's our new GO TO recipe. It's easy to make, and the smoked mozzarella adds so much wonderful flavor. Being so light, and less cheesy, works for us, and it's a Good thing. Make this with Zukes or Eggplant and you too will have this as a regular meal, it's GREAT!!! thank you, Nina
February 21, 2024
See it through to the end
Five pounds of eggplant is a lot; I got 5 good sized ones and it was still a little short. Even so, I could barely get them all on two full-sized half-sheet pans without quite a lot of overlap. This made turning them all mid-way while trying to preserve their position next to impossible. When the eggplant slices came out of the oven, they didn’t look particularly inspiring, and frankly they felt a little leathery. Halfway in, I was braced for disappointment. Fear not. The finished dish is delicious as promised. The eggplant slices merged with the sauce and cheese to be silky and toothsome simultaneously. I couldn’t get any of the listed smoked cheeses locally, so I used half aged provolone and half smoked Gouda. It worked very nicely.
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.
January 26, 2024
Flavorful
Really good! I used 3 eggplant, and that was plenty. Also, just lightly salt the eggplant, because there is enough salt in the cheese, otherwise it could be too salty. Also, I made the mistake of simmering down the tomato sauce until it was too thick, leaving me a bit short of sauce for the top layer. Just simmer it till the sauce is slightly thickened, as the recipe says.
December 31, 2023
Easy and yummy
I shy away from breading and frying. I find it to be more mess than it’s worth but have always wanted to make eggplant parm. This recipe is easy and filled with flavor. I’ve made it twice, once with smoked provolone and once with smoked mozzarella, both good. I used Italian eggplants and had more than I needed, but the roasted eggplant is pretty good on its own, so the leftovers made a great snack. The dish was a big hit with my company too!
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