Name: Italian Eggplant & Zucchini Parmigiana (Gluten-Free)
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 4 pounds fresh Italian tomatoes (or sub two 20-ounce jars San Marzano tomato passata) (1500g); 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (30g); 1 medium yellow or white onion, finely diced; 1 medium carrot, finely diced; 3 to 4 medium garlic cloves, smashed; salt to taste; 1 fresh basil leaf (optional); 1 1/2 pounds zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick lengthwise (680g); 1 1/2 pounds Italian eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick (680g); 4 balls fresh mozzarella (3 1/2 ounces each) (or 1 3/4 cups shredded mozzarella) (400g)*; 3 1/2 ounces grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Grana Padano, or Parmesan cheese) (100g); 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (to pan-sear the zucchini) (15g); salt to taste

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This ooey-gooey layered Eggplant and Zucchini Parmigiana is as satisfying and scrumptious as your favorite lasagna, but it's totally noodle-less (and you won't even miss them). In fact, this recipe was recently selected as one of the 2022 Pinterest and Food52 Golden Recipe Grand Prize Winners! Mama A's "Melanzane e Zucchine Parmigiana" is the first non-breaded, non-fried eggplant and zucchini parm I'd ever eaten -- and it totally blew me away with how simple and 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.

An Image of my recipe being highlighted on Pinterest for the My Golden Recipe Contest and a bit thank you to Pinterest and Food52

An Image of my recipe being highlighted on Pinterestby Food52 for the My Golden Recipe Contest along with the other winners in the Main Squeeze category

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 with the My Golden Recipe Contest. I think I speak for all of us when I say, WE LOVE YOU♡🤗!

a bubbly ooey gooey cheesy golden brown eggplant and zucchini parmigiana in a white ceramic lasagna dish

dried eggplant layered into a lasagna dish

next layer: zucchini dotted with tomato sauce

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

I was first introduced to this recipe from L's Mom who is an excellent Italian cook. Every single thing she makes is somehow simple and the most delicious thing you've ever eaten. And her eggplant and zucchini parmigiana is no exception. It consists of thinly sliced oven-dried (skin-on) Italian eggplant and zucchini, layered into a lasagna dish with a homemade classic Italian tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella, and grated Parmigiano (or Grana Padano) cheeses. And it couldn't be tastier (or easier to make).

I've made one simple adjustment to her original recipe by pan-searing the zucchini instead of oven-drying it which adds even more flavor and helps pull our some of the natural water in the vegetable. That said, I make it both ways depending on how busy I am and you really can't go wrong either way.

Drying out the vegetables slightly (or pan-searing) is done for a couple of reasons:

To allow some of the natural moisture (water) to evaporate from the vegetables resulting in a parmigiana that's not watery.
And to concentrate the flavor of the zucchini and eggplant.

⇓♡ You Choose How Little (or How Much) Cheese to Top it With♡⇓

a large square of eggplant and zucchini parmigiana on a plate sprinkled with parmigiano cheese

a super bubbly and golden brown topped piece of parmigiana after adding even more mozzarella to the top and reheating it

a closeup of a corner of the parmigiana after being baked with a pink flower growing in the window box planter just behind it

Why We Love This 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 is 9 basic ingredients to make it
A perfect way to use up abundant summer eggplant and zucchini
Satisfies every craving for lasagna and its low-carb
A great way to get your kiddos to eat more vegetables (and love them)
It's gluten-free and delicious (you won't miss lasagna noodles at all)
It's vegetarian "lasagna", but hardcore carnivores love it too
You can use shredded mozzarella or fresh mozzarella balls
You can simply dry out the zucchini slices in the oven if you don't want to pan-sear them (see below photos of a 2-person Parmigiana below)

vertically cut long thin slices of eggplant that's been dried in the oven (it was used in another parmigiana bc we make it a lot)

all the ingredients to make a 2-person eggplant and zucchini parmigiana

long thin slices of slightly dried out zucchini

This Eggplant & Zucchini Parmigiana Recipe Is Versatile

As you can see from the photos above, sometimes I slice the eggplant vertically. Also, if I don't feel like pan-searing the zucchini, I dry it out alongside the eggplant in the oven. And sometimes I like to make eggplant and zucchini parmigiana for two (middle photo).

parmigiana ingredients on a cutting board

all the parmigiana components gathered on a cutting board ready for assembly with fresh mozzarella balls at the center

blanched and peeled super bright red italian tomatoes

tomato and vegetable stirred together in the saute pan now starting to thicken up and reduced even further

onions, carrots and garlic added to saute pan

thinly sliced eggplant rounds on a wire oven rack drizzleThinly slice and dried out eggplant rounds in a bowl (looking like leather)

long thinly sliced zucchini in a cast iron skillet with some pieces flipped to reveal the golden brown sear

a small brick of Parmigiano cheee next to fresh mozzarella balls being sliced

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 zucchini and eggplant are in season).

For the Tomato Passata Sauce

fresh Italian tomatoes (sub 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)

a piece of parmigiana out of the window with the view of Italian rooftops

eggplant and zucchini parmigiana just baked (closeup)

a forkful of eggplant and zucchini parmigiana

How to Make Eggplant & Zucchini Parmigiana

Blanch the tomatoes. (Skip to Step #2 if you're using bottled tomato passata) Wash and score tomatoes and drop them into a 4-quart pot of boiling water for about 1 minute, or until the skins start to peel back. Remove tomatoes to a bowl using a slotted spoon and allow to slightly cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the peels, chop them in a food processor, strain them using a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds, and set the tomato purée aside.
Make the tomato sauce. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 12-inch sauté pan set over medium heat, add the smashed garlic, onions, and carrot, and cook until onions are translucent and the carrots are tender (about 5 to 6 minutes). Add the tomato purée, bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, add salt to taste and a leaf of basil (if desired), and cook uncovered over low heat until the sauce is slightly reduced, or about 25 minutes. *If using jarred tomato passata, your sauce may be ready at this point of cooking for just 25 minutes because commercial passata is much thicker (less watery) to start than freshly puréed tomatoes. Cover the sauce with a lid left slightly ajar and continue cooking over low heat for about 25 more minutes stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and continue cooking for about 10 minutes more, or until the sauce has thickened and is a glistening deep red color; remove the garlic cloves and set the sauce aside.
Dry the eggplant slices. While your tomato sauce is cooking, preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and place eggplant slices directly onto the oven racks (just slightly overlapping if needed in order to fit them all) and allow them to cook and slightly dry out for about 25-30 minutes; remove them to a platter or bowl.
Pan-sear the zucchini slices. While the eggplant is drying in the oven, heat ½ tablespoon of olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, add zucchini slices in a single layer, sprinkle with salt to taste, and cook until golden brown (about 3 minutes), then flip them over and continue cooking 2 minutes more and remove them from the skillet. Repeat with any remaining zucchini slices, adding the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil as needed.
Assemble the parmigiana. In a 9x13-inch casserole dish, add about ¼ cup of the tomato sauce and spread it out thinly. Add a layer of slightly overlapping eggplant slices and top with ¼ cup sauce and spread it out evenly. *Alternatively, you may chop all of the dried eggplant slices into a large dice if desired which makes the finished parmigiana easier to slice. Add a layer of grated cheese and top with one ball of torn or grated mozzarella. Add a layer of slightly overlapping zucchini, ¼ cup more sauce spread out thinly, then add grated cheese and another layer of mozzarella. Repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients ending with a layer of grated cheese and torn or shredded mozzarella.
Bake the parmigiana. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake in a 375°F/190°C preheated oven for 1 hour, remove the foil and continue baking for 20-30 minutes longer, or until much of the juices have concentrated and evaporated allowing you to avoid a watery Parmigiana. Turn the broiler function on and continue cooking the Parmigiana for 5 more minutes, or until the top is golden brown and bubbling, remove from the oven, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

fully baked and beautifully bubbly, melty , golden brown cheesy eggplant and zucchini parmigiano

How to Use This Recipe to Make Breaded & Fried Eggplant Parmigiana

If you're really craving the classic breaded and fried eggplant parm, it's really easy to make using this recipe as the foundation. Start by simply omitting the zucchini (or better yet leave it for added flavor). Then slice the eggplant pieces to ¼ inch thickness, fully coat them in flour, dip them into the beaten egg to coat, and finally coat them in breadcrumbs. Fry them, drain them on a paper towel-lined plate, and then layer them into the parmigiana and bake.