Unbreaded Eggplant Parm

Unbreaded Eggplant Parm

from coleycooks.com
100 min
8 servings

his recipe for Unbreaded Eggplant Parm requires only 5 ingredients, is gluten free, and is the cheesy Italian comfort food of your dreams.

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs eggplant (about 2-3 large, peeled and sliced 3/4 - 1 inch thick)
  • extra virgin olive oil for brushing eggplant (about 1/2 cup or more)
  • salt (for seasoning the eggplant)
  • 5 cups tomato sauce (homemade is best)
  • 1 1/4 lbs 20 ounces freshly grated whole milk mozzarella
  • 1 1/2 cups finely grated pecorino Romano cheese
  • minced fresh parsley or basil (for garnish (optional))

Directions

  1. 1

    Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line 3 sheet pans with parchment paper. (You may have enough eggplant to make a 4th pan.)

  2. 2

    Brush the eggplant slices lightly with olive oil on both sides, then lay them out in an even layer on the sheet pans.

  3. 3

    Sprinkle with salt, then bake until golden brown, rotating the pans as needed, about 15-20 minutes. Use a pair of tongs to flip the eggplant over to the other side and continue cooking for abutter 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Keep an eye on the eggplant as it cooks. Some pieces may brown before the others - remove them and continue cooking.

  4. 4

    Lower the oven to 350 degrees and set aside 2 cups of mozzarella and 1/2 cup pecorino Romano.

  5. 5

    Ladle about 1/2 cup marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 inch casserole dish, then spread it around to coat.

  6. 6

    Place a single, even layer of eggplant over the sauce, then top with another thin layer of sauce and a sprinkling of each cheese.

  7. 7

    Continue layering the eggplant with more sauce and more cheese until you’ve used everything up. It's okay if the final layer of eggplant is a bit sparse. Sprinkle the top with the reserved 2 cups mozzarella and 1/2 cup pecorino Romano.

  8. 8

    Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake until bubbling and lightly golden on top, about 20 minutes more.

  9. 9

    Let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chopped parsley or basil if desired. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.