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Eggplant Parmesan

There are many versions of this dish throughout southern Italy. Some include a meat sauce, others slip hard-cooked eggs between the layers and still others call for dipping the eggplant slices in beaten egg and breadcrumbs before frying. This recipe is from Campania, where it is typically served as an antipasto, as a side dish or even cold as a sandwich filling. Make sure the oil is fully heated before you add the eggplant, or the slices will absorb too much oil.

By williamssonoma · From Open Recipes · 6 ingredients
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Eggplant Parmesan

Why it works: Olive and tomato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,539 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Eggplant Parmesan

Serves 6.

Ingredients

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

374Calories
15 gProtein
30 gFat
14 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Mozzarella Cheese1 oz (28g)85
Eggplant1 cup cubed (82g)35
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By williamssonoma. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,539 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  2. Eggplant + olivetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together943 recipes

    Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

  3. Mozzarella cheese + cheesetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together421 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  4. Eggplant + tomatotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together651 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  5. Olive + mozzarella cheesetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,773 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (apple, fatty).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the eggplant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, tomato, mozzarella cheese, cheese):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Eggplantthe original
  3. Cucumberfits less well
  4. Potatofits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, tomato, mozzarella cheese, cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.