Annie I love a good classic eggplant Parmesan, but sometimes it’s a little too intense to make it on a busy weeknight. So what to do when a craving strikes on a random Wednesday? Enter my skillet eggplant Parmesan. In this version, I give the eggplants a light coating of semolina flour—but most any flour (even GF!) would work just fine—then saute them in an oven-proof skillet in plenty of heart-healthy olive oil until they turn golden and crisp. Then they get layered with marinara and cheese and baked. SO delicious AND easy!
The best eggplants come from your garden or a local farm in the heat of summer, but obviously that’s not possible right now in Iowa, so I took my chances with good ol’ supermarket eggplants. When purchasing eggplants, looks for ones that are firm and shiny with bright green stems (this indicates freshness). Avoid those with soft spots.
I am BEYOND excited for summer eggplants and this recipe made me even more so. Ok now I’m going to give my eggplant seedlings some extra love (and maybe a little rabbit poop—more on that later…).
Three-Cheese Skillet Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants, halved lengthwise and cut into½-inch slices
- 2 tsp. fine salt or 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. dried oregano or basil, crushed
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 2 Tbsp. semolina flour or all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups marinara or your favorite red sauce (see note)
- 3 slices pancetta or bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled (optional)
- Chopped fresh basil and/or parsley (optional)
Instructions
- In a colander combine eggplant and salt; toss to coat. Let stand at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. Using a paper towel, pat excess moisture away from eggplant. Transfer to a large bowl and add flour, oregano, and pepper; toss to coat evenly.
- In a large deep oven-proof skillet heat ¼ cup of the oil over medium-high heat. Add half the eggplant. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes or until lightly browned and almost tender, adding more oil as needed. Remove from skillet and repeat with remaining eggplant. Add marinara to skillet and scrape up any browned bits from the eggplant. Arrange eggplant as desired (get fancy with them or just toss them over the sauce like I did).
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F. In a medium bowl combine mozzarella, ricotta, Parmesan, and parsley (if using). Drop mixture in mounds over eggplant. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until edges are bubbly, eggplant is fork-tender, and cheese is lightly browned. If desired, sprinkle with pancetta and chopped fresh basil and/or parsley.
