Nonna Anna's Eggplant & Zucchini Parmigiana (Food52 & Pinterest Grand Prize Winner)

Anna's "Melanzane e Zucchine Parmigiana" is the first non-breaded, non-fried eggplant and zucchini parmigiana I'd ever eaten - and it totally blew me away with how simple and totally delicious it was.

I hope you love this family-favorite recipe as much as we do. As always, you can find step-by-step recipe photos at the end of the post as well as a video.

I would like to take this opportunity to give a HUGE thank you to Pinterest and Food52 for supporting all the small makers, creators, and kitchen experimenters out there - and for caring enough to highlight some of our most treasured family recipes in the My Golden Recipe Contest. I think I speak for all of us when I say, WE LOVE YOU♡🤗!

If you love this baked pasta, you may want to try my Authentic Lasagna Bolognese (Lasagne alla Bolognese +Video) or Anna's other delicious traditional Italian Ham and Mozzarella Lasagna that's SO easy and deceptively delicious!

What is Eggplant & Zucchini Parmigiana (Melenzane e Zucchine Parmigiana)?

This classic Italian eggplant and zucchini parmigiana - or melanzane e zucchine parmigiana - was introduced to me by Luca's mamma (Anna) an exceptional Italian home cook whose food is always somehow both simple and the most delicious thing you've ever eaten. This recipe is no exception.

It's made with thinly sliced, skin-on Italian eggplant and zucchini, oven-dried to concentrate their flavor, then layered into a baking dish with a homemade classic Italian tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella, and grated aged Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano DOP cheese. No frying required - and it couldn't be tastier or easier to make.

My one personal twist: I pan-sear the zucchini instead of oven-drying it, which adds even more flavor and draws out more of the vegetable's natural moisture. That said, both methods work beautifully - I use whichever one fits my schedule.

Why dry or sear the vegetables first?

Two reasons: it allows excess moisture to evaporate from the vegetables so your parmigiana doesn't turn watery, and it concentrates the natural flavor of both the eggplant and zucchini.

Why You'll Love This Healthy Parmigiana Recipe

• It's cheesy, melty, and tomatoey, just like our favorite lasagnas
• It's not coated and fried, so it's healthier but still totally indulgent 
• All you need are 9 basic ingredients to make it
• A perfect way to use up abundant summer tomatoes, eggplant, and zucchini
• Satisfies every craving for lasagna and its low-carb
• A great way to get your kids to eat more vegetables (and love them)
• It's gluten-free and delicious (you won't miss lasagna noodles at all for reals)
• It's vegetarian "lasagna", but hardcore carnivores love it too
• You can use shredded mozzarella and/or fresh mozzarella balls
• You can dry out the zucchini slices in the oven if you don't want to pan-sear them

A Versatile Eggplant & Zucchini Parmigiana Recipe

As you can see from the photos above, you can add more or less cheese. You can slice the eggplant and zucchini vertically or horizontally. Also, if you don't feel like pan-searing the zucchini, simply dry it out alongside the eggplant in the oven (this is how Anna makes hers.

And sometimes I like to make eggplant and zucchini parmigiana for two people (middle photo).

Eggplant & Zucchini Parmigiana Ingredients 

For this entire dish, you only need 9 ingredients (10 if you count salt), which makes it a really easy meal to plan for and also cost-effective (especially during the summer months when tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant are in season).

• garden fresh Italian tomatoes (substitute jarred tomato passata)
• extra virgin olive oil 
• onion
• carrot
• garlic
• zucchini
• eggplant
• mozzarella 
• grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or sub Grana Padano, or Parmesan cheese) 
• salt 
• fresh basil leaf (optional)

How to Make Eggplant & Zucchini Parmigiana 

Step 1. Blanch the tomatoes. (Skip steps 1 and 2 if using bottled passata.) Score and drop tomatoes into boiling water for about 1 minute until skins start to peel back. Remove with a slotted spoon, cool slightly, peel, chop in a food processor, and strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds. Set the purée aside.

Step 2. Make the tomato sauce. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic, onions, and carrot and cook until translucent and tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the tomato purée, bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Season with salt, add a basil leaf if desired, and cook uncovered for about 25 minutes. Remove the garlic and set aside.

Step 3. Dry the eggplant. While the sauce cooks, preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Place eggplant slices directly on the oven racks, slightly overlapping if needed, and dry out for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove to a platter.

Step 4. Pan-sear the zucchini. While the eggplant dries, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini in a single layer, season with salt, and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip, season with more salt, and cook 2 minutes more. Repeat with remaining zucchini, adding more oil as needed.

Step 5. Assemble the parmigiana. Spread about ¼ cup of tomato sauce across the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Add a layer of slightly overlapping eggplant slices, top with ¼ cup sauce, grated cheese, and one ball (100g) of torn or grated mozzarella. Add a layer of zucchini, ¼ cup sauce, grated parmesan cheese, and another layer of mozzarella. Repeat the layers with remaining ingredients, finishing with grated cheese and torn mozzarella on top.

Tip: You can dice all the dried eggplant instead of layering slices - it makes the finished parmigiana easier to slice.

Step 6. Bake the parmigiana. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 375°F / 190°C for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake 20 to 30 minutes more until the juices have concentrated and reduced. Turn on the broiler for 5 more minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbling. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Eggplant and Zucchini Parmigiana Step-by-Step Recipe Photos

Making the homemade tomato passata or use store-bought

Make the Parmigiana

More Delicious Italian Dishes

If you love pasta as much as we do, we've added a few of our tried and true family favorites for you to try below.