October 18, 2022

Three Cheese Eggplant Parmesan

Three Cheese Eggplant Parmesan is one of our favorite meatless meals. I start this dish by making a homemade tomato sauce. Then, I bread and fry thin slices of eggplant. Finally, I layer the fried eggplant with ricotta and mozzarella. We like this dish for several reasons. First of all, I like that this meal doesn’t contain any meat, but it is still hearty and delicious. Secondly, I like that this dish makes enough for six servings. That makes it great to serve to guests, or to serve the next day as leftovers. And, finally, we all love the rich and cheesy flavors in this eggplant parmesan.

The Equipment I Used

A Baking Dish- I used a 9×13 ceramic baking dish to bake my eggplant parmesan.
A Cast Iron Skillet- Use this or another large frying pan to fry the eggplant.

The Ingredients Needed for Three Cheese Eggplant Parmesan

Tomatoes- I like to use the boxed Pomi strained tomatoes for this dish, but you can also use a canned tomato puree.
Chicken Stock- I always use my homemade chicken stock. The recipe is below.
Breadcrumbs- I like to use the 4C brand of breadcrumbs.
Mozzarella and Ricotta- If possible, use the fresh mozzarella and ricotta.
Oil- Use vegetable, canola, or peanut oil to fry the eggplant. Don’t use olive oil or extra virgin olive oil.

How I Made my Eggplant

First, I made the tomato sauce. Be sure to keep an eye on the sauce so that it doesn’t burn.
While the sauce cooked, I fried the eggplant. Again, this needs to be closely monitored. You really need to make sure the eggplant doesn’t burn.
Then, I layered the eggplant, sauce, and cheeses.
Finally, I baked everything for thirty minutes. I served this with polenta, but we also enjoy it with pasta.

If you like eggplant, you need to try this rich and delicious Three Cheese Eggplant Parmesan.

Three Cheese Eggplant Parmesan

A Perfect Feast

Eggplant Parmesan, breaded with Parmesan cheese and layered with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and fresh ricotta cheese.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 30

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings

Calories 317 kcal

Equipment

Cast Iron or other heavy skillet
ceramic or other 9×13 baking dish
Dutch oven, or other pot 3 quarts or larger

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
1 box Pomi strained tomatoes, or 28 oz. plum tomatoes, pureed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup homemade chicken broth optional
1 eggplant peeled and sliced lenghwise in 1/4 in slices
1 cup flour
5 eggs beaten
4 cups plain dried breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
2 cups vegetable oil
3 cups fresh mozzarella cheese or regular mozzarella cheese grated
1½ cups fresh ricotta cheese or regular ricotta cheese
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the tomato sauce:

In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil, and add the tomatoes, 1/4 tsp. salt, the sugar, and one teaspoon each of the oregano, basil, and garlic powder. Also, add the chicken broth, and hot pepper flakes. Simmer, covered, for thirty minutes.

For the eggplant:

As the sauce simmers, prepare three bowls for breading the eggplant. In the first bowl, mix the flour with 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper. In the second bowl, mix the beaten eggs. In the third bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and the rest of the salt, pepper, and spices.
Meanwhile, heat a 1/4 inch of oil in a large cast iron skillet, until a small piece of eggplant sizzles immediately.
Dip one piece of eggplant at a time into each of the three bowls. Each slice should be completely covered in breadcrumbs. Fry about 4 slices at a time, until each side is brown and crispy. Flip each slice over only once. Drain the cooked eggplant on a wire rack.
In a 13×9 casserole dish, place a 1/3 of the eggplant slices, topped with 1 cup of sauce, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, and a half cup of ricotta cheese. Repeat twice. You will have leftover sauce. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.