Description
This ooey-gooey melty layered Eggplant and Zucchini Parmigiana is as satisfying and scrumptious as your favorite lasagna, but it's noodle-less (and you won't even miss them). This Italian "Melanzane e Zucchine Parmigiana" is a family favorite recipe we enjoy year-round.
Ingredients
For the Tomato Passata Sauce
- 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)
For the Rest of the Parmigiana (casserole)
- 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
*Using low-moisture pre-shredded mozzarella is less expensive and results in a slightly creamier baked dish. Use what's available to you, or the most cost-effective (both versions are delicious). Or try using a combination of both cheeses.
Instructions
- Blanch the tomatoes. (Skip 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.
- 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, or until thickened nicely.
- 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.
- Pan-sear the zucchini. While the eggplant dries, heat ½ 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 and cook 2 minutes more. Repeat with remaining zucchini, adding the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil as needed.
- 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 of torn or grated mozzarella. Add a layer of zucchini, ¼ cup sauce, grated 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.
- 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.
Notes
When making a (non-fried) eggplant and zucchini parmigiana like this one, it's important to remove moisture from the vegetables first before assembling and baking the casserole. Otherwise, the parmigiana will be runny from the vegetables releasing their natural water while baking.
If you feel the parmigiana is too "liquidy" when you first remove it from the oven, don't worry. This can happen for a couple of easily-remedied reasons.
- It can be because you didn't dry out the eggplant enough before layering them in.
- It can happen because the zucchini has a high moisture content.
- It can also happen if you didn't cook the tomato sauce long enough to reduce it to a thicker consistency.
- None of these issues will ruin your delicious parmigiana! It just means you need to continue baking it a little longer (uncovered). This will help some of the natural water to evaporate and for the vegetables to soak up more of the sauce as it bakes. As the parmigiana cools, it will soak up more of the sauce, so don't cut it right after removing it from the oven. Instead, allow it time for everything to "set up" before slicing into it.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Oven Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of the Parmigiana
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 470mg
- Fat: 21g
- Saturated Fat: 10.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 18.5g
- Cholesterol: 58mg
