simple eggplant parmesan – smitten kitchen

Warmth oven: To 425°F (220°C) levels.

Roast eggplant: Switch eggplant slices to paper towels and blot them of as a lot extra water as attainable. Dry the baking sheet, too, and coat it with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle the oil with a number of grinds of black pepper. Organize eggplant slices in a single layer. Drizzle with 2 extra tablespoons of oil and extra grinds of black pepper. Roast till properly browned beneath, 20 to 25 minutes. Use a skinny spatula to show eggplant slices over and roast till browned beneath on the second aspect, one other 10 minutes. It’s okay in the event that they’re not cooked by means of but. Cut back oven temperature to 375°F (175°C).

In the meantime, make sauce: Whereas eggplant roasts, open your can of tomatoes and use kitchen shears or very well-washed scissors to cut the tomatoes into small bits. Warmth 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium/giant saucepan over medium-high warmth. As soon as sizzling, add onion and prepare dinner till it softens, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes and prepare dinner one other minute. Add tomatoes (beware the splatter!), oregano, and season with 1 teaspoon salt, plus extra to style. Let combination simmer over low warmth for about 10 minutes, stirring often. If you happen to’d just like the sauce smoother than it’s now, you possibly can mash the tomatoes additional with a potato masher because it cooks, or use an immersion blender for a totally clean sauce. Stir in basil then style the sauce; modify salt and pepper to style.

Assemble: In a 1.5- to 2-quart baking dish (holding 6 to eight cups; I’m utilizing this), spoon about 1/2 cup of the sauce. Organize about half of the eggplant slices, barely overlapped, in a single layer. Spoon one other 1/2 cup sauce over and unfold it evenly. Organize remaining eggplant slices, then ladle extra sauce over it so it’s as saucy as you want. [Keep unused sauce in fridge for another day; it will keep for 4 to 5 days.] Sprinkle high with mozzarella and parmesan.

Bake: For half-hour, till cheese has melted and sauce is effervescent throughout. For extra colour on high, you possibly can run it briefly below your oven’s broiler.

To serve: As soon as baked, let the eggplant parmesan relaxation at room temperature, should you can bear it, for quarter-hour earlier than digging in — this helps the elements settle and are available collectively extra. It’s not obligatory, however that is glorious with a aspect of garlic bread.

Do forward: Eggplant parmesan retains fantastically within the fridge for as much as 5 days. Rewarm in a 350-degree oven, coated for the primary half of the time, for about 25 to half-hour. You can even freeze it, nicely wrapped, for a number of months.