The Carrots Parmigiana is a surprising and delicious way to reinvent this vegetable, so common in cooking and often underestimated. Just like in other tasty carrot side dishes (the sandy carrots, the butter carrots or the glazed carrots with balsamic vinegar), carrots take on a new life in this recipe that turns them into a tasty and inviting dish, perfect for enriching your menu with a touch of originality. The Carrots Parmigiana recipe is easy and quick: after slicing them into rounds, the carrots are briefly stewed in a pan with a bit of milk, which gives them a soft and creamy texture. They are then arranged in layers in a baking dish, alternating with generous sprinkles of Parmesan, before being gratinated in the oven for 5-10 minutes, until a golden and crispy crust forms on the surface. The peculiarity of this recipe is that it is made without butter: milk and Parmesan are enough to give the dish a rich and enveloping flavor and to allow a crunchy and inviting crust to form on the surface. Great as a side dish for meat or egg-based dishes, Carrots Parmigiana will win you over from the first bite!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stove, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 199.49 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 18.27 (g) of which sugars 9.49 (g)
- Proteins 4.95 (g)
- Fat 12.99 (g) of which saturated 3.50 (g)of which unsaturated 1.33 (g)
- Fibers 5.04 (g)
- Sodium 263.86 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 140 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Carrots Parmigiana
- 1.54 lbs carrots
- 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 pinch salt
- to taste pepper
- 1 sprig parsley
- 4 tbsps Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (grated)
Tools
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Peeler
- 1 Pan non-stick, with lid
- 1 Baking Dish
How to Prepare Carrots Parmigiana
To prepare the Carrots Parmigiana, start by peeling the carrots. Trim them and cut them into rounds that are not too thin (1). In a large pan, heat the oil well (2). Then add the carrots (3).
Add a good pinch of salt, a grind of pepper, and brown them for about 5 minutes over low heat, stirring often. Then wet them with about 1/3 cup of hot water. Cover them with a lid (4) and let them stew over low heat for 10 minutes. After the cooking time, they will be softened, and the water will be significantly reduced (5). At this point, add the hot milk (6) and a pinch of nutmeg.
Cook the carrots uncovered for another 4-5 minutes, stirring often, to make sure they absorb the milk (7). Then turn off the heat. Take a not excessively large baking dish and, without adding any more seasoning, arrange about a third of the carrots. Sprinkle them with some Parmesan (8). Then form another layer of carrots on top (9).
Garnish again with some Parmesan, then form a final layer with the remaining carrots, pouring all the cooking juice into the baking dish. Finish with plenty of Parmesan (10). Then gratinate in a preheated oven at 392°F for 5-10 minutes, until a little crust forms on the surface (11).
Serve the Carrots Parmigiana immediately, garnished with a bit of chopped parsley. They are excellent as an appetizer or as a side dish for meat or egg-based seconds.
Storage
You can store the Carrots Parmigiana in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days. Before consuming them, I recommend briefly heating them in the oven or microwave.
Tips and Variations
For a richer flavor, you can replace – entirely or partially – the oil with butter. Instead of parsley, you can use rosemary.
