These miniature baked eggplant parmesan will save you tons of time compared to the traditional fried version, and they embrace the beautiful simplicity of Italian cooking
A trip to Ravello on the Amalfi coast this past November left my family and I with the incredible opportunity to take cooking lessons with a practiced Italian chef, Gaitano. Gaitano was gracious enough to teach us a number of traditional Italian recipes and impart to us his vast knowledge of cultural cooking. I’m posting a few of the recipes that we learned and made on this trip in hopes of sharing some of these incredible dishes, and to show ease and simplicity of Italian cooking in general. This first recipe is actually the very first one we made on our trip, and it’s a perfect introduction to deceivingly simple yet complexly flavorful Italian cooking: mini baked eggplant parmesan.
My Italian family has always been a big fan of eggplant parmesan. I remember one that my grandmother used to make for special occasions, and to this day (when we’re lucky), my aunt Camille makes an incredible version of this dish: long, thinly sliced strips of eggplant perfectly battered and fried, then doused in rich tomato sauce and topped with creamy mozzarella cheese. But eggplant parmesan can be a bit of a pain in the ass to make with all the frying it requires, and it’s not always the healthiest option. This version on the other hand saves time and calories by baking the eggplant strips before hand and then layering them with sauce and cheese in mini ramequins. They’re perfect as a single-serving appetizer (2 may be required for a main course), and can ever be prepared and assembled before baking.
My uncle Larry expertly slices eggplant
Ribbons of baked eggplant; Nicole begins assembling the mini eggplant parmesan
Gaitano showed us how to partially peel the eggplant before slicing in order to eliminate some of the tough and slightly bitter flavor of the skin, and then to slice the eggplant the long way, forming long strips instead of rounds. These slices get brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and quickly baked just until tender. They are then laid across miniature ramekins, being sure that the ends of the eggplant strips lay over the sides, and layered with the traditional eggplant parmesan ingredients: tomato sauce, mozzarella, parmesan and basil. The ends of the eggplant strips get tucked into the ramekins to form neat little packages, and these babies take a quick trip to the oven to bake. And that’s pretty much it. That’s how super easy this recipe is, and that’s what makes it the perfect embodiment of Italian cooking: simple, fresh ingredients paired in delicate and classic flavor combinations. These mini baked eggplant parmesan make the perfect appetizer for a multi-course Italian dinner (a favorite in my family), but can just as easily be a quick and healthy weeknight dinner or even a main course (that can even be made ahead!), sure to impress your dinner guests.
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese, to taste
- Fresh basil, minced
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive oil
- 3" ramekins or muffin tins for baking
- Preheat oven to 350. Partially peel and then slice the eggplant the long way (not into rounds, into long strips) into as thin a slice as possible, no more than ¼ of an inch. Arrange on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, and bake until eggplant is tender and just slightly brown, about 15 minutes.
- Lay slices of cooked eggplant across the ramekin so that the bottom and sides of the ramekin are completely covered and the ends of the eggplant slices hang over the sides of the ramekin (see photo). Add a spoonful of sauce, ½ oz mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and basil. Add a folded slice of the cooked eggplant to the top and repeat this step for a second layer. Using the ends of the eggplant slices hanging over the edge of the ramekin create a top, covering the cheese and tucking the ends in.
- Repeat this process for all the eggplant slices. Top each one with another spoonful of sauce and Parmesan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes until firm and browned on top.
- To serve, flip the ramekins upside down to remove the miniature eggplant parmesans. Serve with another spoonful of sauce and fresh Parmesan and basil to garnish.
Check out some photos from my November travels to Catalonia, Spain, and Italy, and some of the other recipes I learned on this trip: fresh pasta making tips
I have 2 questions 10-6-2019
Size of ramekin.?
I read the recipe as making multiple layers with the eggplant slices, but it seem to me that the height of the ramekin is the limiting size for how many layers you can make,
So how many layers of folded eggplant are there and do the remaining eggplant slices just finish of the “bottom”:of the entire “ package” and get tucked into Lang along the sides of the ramekin?