The Eggplant Parmesan Grandma Lina’s Recipe is rich in flavor and tradition.

Baked or in an air fryer, it is undoubtedly one of my favorite dishes, if made properly.

There is no single original eggplant parmesan recipe, and in fact, not only different regions, but every family has its own recipe.

Perfect to prepare all year round and even better with seasonal eggplants, it can be customized in many ways and requires few and simple Mediterranean ingredients.

This parmesan is best enjoyed after a short rest. Let it set to allow the layers to compact without losing creaminess, then portion and plate it.

Decorate with a few fresh basil leaves and serve for lunch or dinner in everyday cooking, but also on special occasions when you have guests: you’ll make a great impression!

This parmesan can be cooked either in the traditional oven or in an air fryer: both methods are described in the recipe.

What do you say, shall we prepare it together?

Let us know in the comments how it turned out and on what occasion you served it!

Here you’ll find a wide selection of eggplant recipes.

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Cheap
Preparation time: 40 Minutes
Portions: 4 People
Cooking methods: Air Frying, Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall

667.65 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 667.65 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 38.33 (g) of which sugars 5.57 (g)
Proteins 32.26 (g)
Fat 45.29 (g) of which saturated 18.41 (g)of which unsaturated 19.48 (g)
Fibers 9.58 (g)
Sodium 1,206.20 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 220 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

Eggplant Parmesan Grandma’s Recipe

2.2 lbs eggplant
26.5 oz tomato passata (or peeled tomatoes or fresh tomato sauce)
8.82 oz mozzarella (or provolone)
3 eggs
as needed flour
3.5 oz parmesan
as needed peanut oil (for frying)
as needed extra virgin olive oil (for the sauce)
salt
basil
2 cloves garlic (or onion)

Tools

Pan
Air Fryers
Pot
Colander

Steps

Eggplant Parmesan Grandma’s Recipe

Remove the stem and slice the eggplants lengthwise.
Slice thickness: 1/8 to 1/4 inch
Lay the eggplant slices in layers in a colander, adding a pinch of coarse salt to each layer. Once you’ve finished with the layers, place a plate and a pot full of water on top of the eggplants.
Leave the pot on the eggplants for about an hour; its weight will help expel the water from the eggplants.
After the necessary time has passed, rinse the eggplants under running water to remove the salt.
Squeeze the eggplants and place them on a kitchen towel, cover with another towel, and dry them.
In the meantime, prepare the tomato sauce.
Prepare the sauce by putting some extra virgin olive oil and a little onion in a pot. When the onion is well browned, add the tomato passata and salt, and cook on low heat for 30/35 minutes.
At the end of cooking, break up the basil.
I can recommend, given the season, trying to make a sauce with fresh tomatoes and then pass it through a food mill for an even better eggplant parmesan.
Pour the seed oil into a pan and bring it up to temperature. In the meantime, break the eggs into a bowl and season with salt.
Beat the eggs with a whisk, flour the eggplants, dip them in the beaten egg, and immerse them in the hot oil.
Cook the eggplants on both sides, and when they’ve reached a good golden color, drain them and place them on absorbent paper to drain excess frying oil.
Now that you have all the ingredients ready, you just have to assemble the parmesan: spread the bottom of a baking dish.
Arrange the first layer of eggplants in the baking dish, cover with diced mozzarella, grated parmesan, and tomato sauce.
Continue until all ingredients are used up, sprinkling the last layer with a generous handful of grated parmesan.

Bake for 25 minutes in static or convection oven preheated to about 392°F
Alternatively …… Place the dish inside the air fryer basket and cook at 392°F for 15/20 minutes
(I want to remind you that every air fryer and oven have their times, so check).
When the eggplant parmesan is cooked, take it out of the oven and let it rest for 2 hours before serving.
Enjoy your meal!