Dinner

Eggplant Parmigiana

Name: Eggplant Parmigiana
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 large eggplants, sliced into 1 cm rounds; Salt, for sweating; 4 tbsp olive oil; 500 ml (2 cups) passata; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 tsp dried oregano; 200 g mozzarella, sliced; 50 g (2/3 cup) parmesan, grated; Fresh basil leaves

Serves 4 Prep 25 mins Cook 40 mins Total 1 hour 5 mins

If you searched for eggplant parmigiana and want the useful bits up front, you are in the right place: metric measures, a short intro, then ingredients, method, tip, and notes. Plan on 1 hour 5 mins from starting prep to plating for 4. Prep is about 25 mins; the active cook or oven time is closer to 40 mins. Read the whole method once before you turn on the heat. Shop first for eggplants, Salt and olive oil; those ingredients do the heavy lifting for flavour and texture, while the rest of the list seasons, binds, or finishes the plate. One practical flag before you start: Sweating the eggplant reduces bitterness and oil absorption. The Notes section expands shopping, heat, texture, and leftovers so the page stays useful beyond a bare ingredient dump. Method opens with: “Salt eggplant slices and leave 20 minutes. Pat dry.”. Follow the order as written; jumping ahead is how pans crowd and sauces split.

Ingredients

2 large eggplants, sliced into 1 cm rounds
Salt, for sweating
4 tbsp olive oil
500 ml (2 cups) passata
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp dried oregano
200 g mozzarella, sliced
50 g (2/3 cup) parmesan, grated
Fresh basil leaves

Method

Salt eggplant slices and leave 20 minutes. Pat dry.
Brush with oil and grill or pan-fry until golden on both sides.
Simmer passata with garlic and oregano 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 180°C.
Layer sauce, eggplant, mozzarella and basil in a baking dish. Top with parmesan.
Bake 30–35 minutes until bubbling and golden.

Tip: Sweating the eggplant reduces bitterness and oil absorption.

Notes

Shopping and mise en place: read the full ingredient list once before you start. For Eggplant Parmigiana, eggplants and Salt are the items that decide whether the dish tastes flat or properly seasoned. Weigh where grams are given — volume cups are fine for liquids and some dry goods, but baking ratios are tighter if you use scales. Australian cups are 250 ml; a tablespoon is 20 ml and a teaspoon is 5 ml.
Serving ideas without fluff: serve straight from the pan with a simple salad or mash. Keep accompaniments simple so the dish stays the hero — a green salad, steamed veg, rice, mash, or crusty bread depending on the style. Metric measures stay consistent across Scoops & Dishes, so once you trust the cups and scales here, the rest of the site cooks the same way.
Why this page is written this way: we keep the story short and put the value in practical detail — ingredient order, heat cues, and storage — because that is what helps a home cook succeed on a Tuesday night. If a step feels unclear, email [email protected] and we will tidy the wording on the next pass.
Putting it together for Eggplant Parmigiana: work clean, taste as you go, and do not rush browning or reduction steps if they appear in the method. If you are cooking for mixed diets, plate sauces and toppings separately where practical. Keep this page bookmarked if it becomes a household regular — we update wording when cooks report a confusing step. Metric consistency across Scoops & Dishes means once you trust the cups and scales here, breakfast through dessert behaves the same way.