Italian Breaded Eggplant, a fast and easy Italian appetizer. Nothing like sliced eggplant in a delicious Parmesan and bread crumb coating. The perfect side dish to any meal.
Breaded Eggplant
Breaded EggplantFinally after all the Zucchini we are finally getting some eggplant. After I become bombarded with a certain vegetable and we all get darn sick of it, the next one that arrives all of a sudden becomes my new favourite.
So now it is eggplant’s turn to shine. And shine it does. From Eggplant Parmesan to a delicious Italian Eggplant Ricotta Bake to this simple Italian Breaded Eggplant.
It has always amazed me what an Italian can do with just a few ingredients to turn any dish into something incredibly delicious. Especially my mother-in-law!
When she needed to do a fast dish, not only was it quick and simple but absolutely delicious. She loved eggplant and some of her best dishes were made with this vegetable.
For example she would slice the eggplant (let it sit in a little salt for about 20 minutes), fry it in a little oil, garlic, oregano and a pinch or two of hot pepper flakes, and there you have a tasty vegetable side dish, pretty good for an easy dish!
When she wanted to make it a little more than just a vegetable side dish, a perfect light main dish, she would add two or three eggs. When the eggplant was almost cooked she would scramble it all together. One of my husband’s favourites.
But once in a while you have to make this delicious breaded eggplant. Fast and easy. A delicious side dish. I know , I know, but they are fried!
Not deep-fried mind you, we’ll say lightly fried. As the Italian says if you are going to eat them, you might as well eat them right. Buon Appetito!
Italian Breaded Eggplant
Italian Breaded Eggplant
Ingredients
- 2-3 round or long eggplant (young and firm), slice into 1/4 inch more less thick, (no need to peel)
- 1 teaspoon salt 5.64 grams
- 2/3 cup bread crumbs 60 grams
- 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese 7 1/2 grams
- 2/3 cup flour 80 grams
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil for frying 50 grams
Instructions
- Place sliced eggplant in a large bowl and toss with salt, let sit for 20 minutes. Then drain, but do not rinse.
- In a small plate mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, in another plate beat eggs well, in a third plate add flour.
- Dip slices of eggplant first in flour, then egg, then coat well with breadcrumb mixture.
- Fry in hot oil a couple of minutes on each side until golden. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. Serve. (sprinkle with additional salt if desired). Enjoy!
Nutrition
Gabby says
it taste good, but i suggest more oil.
Sukanya Walter says
In India, we make these but add a lot more spices and fry in the same way and we call these bhajjis
In India we make these but with a lot more spices and instead of dipping in egg mixture, we make a batter of chickpea flour with chilli powder and salt and fry them in deep oil. But it must be a refreshing change to try with the Italian coating and I shall definitely try it. I love your recipes.
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Rosemary says
Hi Sukanya, thanks so much. I will have to check Bhajjis out, sounds very interesting. I hope you like the Italian version. 🙂
Davinia says
We haven’t even sat down to eat it yet. Just ate the first round that was done. By far the best recipe if have used for fried eggplant. My hubby loves this dish and I never make it because they always come out soggy. Not this time! Thank you.
Rosemary says
Hi Davinia, thanks so much, so glad you all liked it. Have a great weekend.
Madeline McEwen says
I hardly dare ask, but can you cook this in advance and then re-heat? My son-in-law loves eggplant, but with so many other side dishes to cook, I do like to get as many sides prepared ahead of time so I can concentrate on the turkey.
Rosemary says
Hi Madeline, I hate to tell you but I no not a good idea. Because they are fried they have to be eaten immediately. Merry Christmas.
Elaine says
Ms. Rosemary, Thank you and thank your mother-in-law! This is hopefully what I’ve been looking for. When I was young back in the ‘60’s, I often climbed a couple of fences dragging our most robust puppy along with me to a neighbor’s yard. His wife wouldn’t allow a dog. He taught me how to garden in ways Americans are just starting to learn. But his wife taught me to love eggplant. He would have me help get the young vegetables picked take to his wife and have her fry some up. Never greasy, always delicious. They spoke no English and yet we talked for what seemed like hours, after our labors in the garden. He liked the help, I liked having a Grandfather. Our families were good friends with his daughter and her family who lived across the street from him. The pup learned to climb fences to my parents dismay. I would take bags of fruit from our trees in later summers. The first time that I walked in the side door was when he passed away. I never learned the type of eggplant he grew, the common variety here, Black Beauty, in the South isn’t the same. We have found a Japanese type called Ichiban that is very close. I imagine he brought the seeds from his garden in Italy. Do you know of a specific type of eggplant that your family grows?
Rosemary says
Hi Elaine, I love this story. And she would plant what’s called Italian or Globe eggplant, I also like to use the Graffiti eggplant, hope that helps. Happy Thanksgiving!
Jim says
My grand mother used to make breaded fried eggplant. After frying the disks, she put cheddar or whatever appropriate cheese she had generously on top. Then, she OVEN melted it and served with side of spaghetti., then topped it all with sauce. That way, the eggplant stayed crisp.
Rosemary says
Hi Jim, that sounds amazing. I will have to try it. Have a great Sunday.