This delicious charred eggplant is tender and flavoured with olive oil and sea salt. Then layered with homemade mariana sauce and topped with panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Serve it as an appetizer or side dish.
Eggplant is one of those vegetables I walk by when I am grocery shopping. It’s not a staple in my home nor one that I grew up eating. I have been experimenting, coming with a recipe or two, including ingredients that are appetizing and delicious to share with you. Well, this recipe was a pleasant surprise. I grilled the sliced eggplant rather then bake or pan-sear and then I made my own marinara sauce with loads of garlic and fresh basil, using an excellent quality extra virgin olive oil. I also pan-fried panko bread crumbs for a crispy and crunchy texture and then mixed in Parmesan cheese to give this recipe layers of healthy, yummy and variations of texture. The end results was absolutely delicious!!
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT COOKING WITH EGGPLANTS
There is misconceptions when it comes to cooking with eggplant. It’s not as difficult as it may seem and when cooked properly it is tender, tasty and can be a hearty meal. It tends to take on the flavours it is cooked or served with.
It’s a good idea to add salt to the eggplant once it’s cut to help eliminate any bitterness that can come from using older eggplants or storing it too long. Salt will enhance the flavour of the eggplant as well. It also helps the eggplant to sweat and release the bitterness and results in a soft and velvety texture. I would suggest to add the salt once the eggplant is cut into slices for about 20-30 minutes. Then remove the salt.
Whether you grill, bake, roast or pan-sear sliced eggplant, leave the skin on as be helpful to avoid falling apart. I would recommend to drizzle the grilled eggplant with extra virgin olive oil once it’s off the grill to keep it moist.
IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE
You will hear me say often that I recommend using good quality ingredients. In this recipe, I used a good quality extra virgin olive oil and a sea salt both from Greece. It will make a huge difference in the flavour of this dish or any dish for that matter. Whether you already have one at home you use, that’s great! If not, I recommend extra virgin olive oil from the Mediterranean countries, Greece, Spain and Italy since I most familar with. They are rich, with depth of flavour and taste incredible!!
WHEN MAKING THIS DELICIOUS RECIPE
Slice eggplant 1/2 inch thickness and place on a baking sheet lined with paper towel. Season with salt on both sides. Rest for 20-30 minutes. Then remove the salt.
While the eggplant is resting, in a small skillet or fry pan, over medium heat, add panko bread crumbs and stir until crispy about 2-3 minutes. Remove and once cooled, mix in Parmesan cheese. Set aside until ready to assemble. Warm the marinara sauce in a sauce pot. In a small bowl, mix together panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
My homemade marinara sauce can be found on this link: Easy Homemade Marinara Sauce or it is always optional to use store bought marinara sauce.
Preheat grill and brush sliced eggplant with olive oil. Add to hot grill and sear each side for 4-5 minutes, long enough to create grill markings.
When ready to serve, first add 3 tablespoons of warmed marinara sauce on serving plate, add two slices of eggplant then add another tablespoon of marinara sauce over each slice and then add another slice of eggplant. Then drizzle with olive oil. Top each eggplant with panko bread crumb and Parmesan cheese. Garnish with basil and parsley.
If you liked this recipe, you will need to try Grilled Eggplant and Halloumi with Herb Infused Olive Oil. It’s a slightly different take on serving eggplant with grilled cherry tomatoes and grilled halloumi. Both of these recipes are so delicious and I would love to hear your thoughts! 🙂
Making homemade marinara sauce is very easy and only takes a few ingredients. The best part is yes, it tastes absolutely delicious and you can freeze it to add to many of your Italian dishes.
I would suggest to leave the skin on when slicing the eggplant. This will help to keep the flesh intact. The skin is edible so no need to remove the skin before eating.
STORING COOKED EGGPLANT
It is recommended to store cooked eggplant in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Once it’s reheated it tends to get very soft. It’s best to enjoy when freshly cooked.
Grilled Eggplant Parmesan with Marinara Sauce
Equipment
- Outdoor or indoor grill
- small skillet or fry pan
Ingredients
- 1 small eggplant (10 slices total)
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup homemade marinara sauce (follow the link to recipe or store bought)
- 4 tbsp parmesan cheese
- 2 toasted panko crumbs
- 3 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 3 tbsp fresh basil, sliced
Instructions
- Slice eggplant 1/2 inch thickness. Place sliced eggplant on baking sheet lined with paper towel and sprinkle each side with salt. Let it sit for 20 minutes. Brush off the salt.
- Meanwhile, using a small skillet, over medium heat, add panko bread crumbs and stir until crispy about 2-3 minutes. Remove and once cooled, mix in Parmesan cheese. Set aside until ready to assemble. Warm the marinara sauce in a sauce pot.
- Preheat the grill to medium heat. Brush both sides of the halloumi cheese with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on hot grill. Cook each side for 4-5 minutes, until the eggplant is tender with charred markings. Remove from grill.
- Start plating, first add 3 tablespoons of warm marinara sauce on serving plate, add two slices of eggplant then add another tablespoon of marinara sauce over each slice and then add another slice of eggplant. Then drizzle with olive oil. Top each eggplant with panko bread crumb and Parmesan cheese mixture. Garnish with basil and parsley.
- Serve as an appetizer or side dish.
Nutrition
