Bobby Flay's Eggplant Parmesan

This delicious comfort classic hits the spot every time. The homemade sauce is well worth the effort, (absolutely finger-lickin' good!) so really take the extra 15 mins and do it yourself and you will tell a big difference from the store bought sauce-in-a-jar.

The beauty of this dish is that the deep-fried, crumbed eggplant slices do not get soggy from tomato sauce placed on top, and is stays just as fresh and just as delicious the next day (if you have leftovers).



Prep time: 30 min
Cooking time: 1 hr
Serves 3 - 4 people

Ingredients

Homemade Tomato Sauce: 3 tblsp olive oil; 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped; 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped; ½ tsp red pepper flakes; 1 can plum tomatoes and their juices, crushed with your hands; 1 can crushed tomatoes; ½ glass red wine (cabernet sauvignon or shiraz works well); 3 tblsp freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley; 3 tblsp freshly chopped basil leaves; 1 tblsp freshly chopped oregano leaves; Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Eggplant: 5 cups fresh dried breadcrumbs (made from dried day-old bread); Butter, for greasing the dish; 3 tblsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; 1 tblsp finely chopped fresh oregano leaves; 1 tblsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 2 large eggs, beaten; 2 tblsp water; 2 medium eggplants, cut into 1/2-inch-thick long slices (need about 18 slices); All-purpose flour, for dredging; Vegetable oil, for frying; HomemadeTomato Sauce; 125 g grated fresh mozzarella, plus 100 g fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced; 3/4 cup grated Parmesan; Fresh basil leaves, torn



Method: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process until smooth. Return the mixture back to the pot, add the parsley, basil and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 mins longer and season with honey, if needed.

To dry out the bread crumbs: Preheat the oven to 300 degree F. Evenly spread the bread crumbs on a large baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 5 mins, turn the oven off and let the bread crumbs sit in the oven for 30 mins or until just dry.

Raise the temperature of the oven up to 400 degrees F. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 15 by 10 by 2-inch baking dish and set aside. Place the bread crumbs into a large shallow bowl. Add the herbs, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. In another medium shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and 2 tblsp of water together. Season each eggplant slice on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge each eggplant slice in the flour, tapping off excess, then dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the bread crumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the egg plant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.



Heat ½ inch of oil in 2 large straight-sided sauté pans over medium heat until the oil reaches a temperature of 385 degrees F. Working in small batches, fry a few of the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.



Cover the bottom of the prepared baking dish with some of the tomato sauce and arrange half of the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with some of the sauce, grated mozzarella and some of the basil. Repeat to make 3 layers ending with the sauce. Top with the fresh mozzarella and remaining Romano.

Bake for about 30 mins or until just beginning to brown. Allow to rest for about 10 mins before serving.

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If you liked this recipe, you may also like a variation of the same:

Eggplant Parmigano Parcles - a twist by Chef Simon Bryant

or my Italian Beef Braciole with Orecchiette