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Eggplant Parmesan I

A layered baked dish of sliced eggplant, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,093 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

Eggplant Parmesan I

Oven180 °C (350 °F)
Time20–30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the eggplant

  1. Wash eggplants and slice them 1–1.5 cm (¼ inch) thick.

  2. Salt both sides of each slice. Let them rest 60–120 minutes, or place in a strainer with a weight to draw out water. Rinse off excess salt and pat dry.

  3. For a thicker breading: dredge slices in flour or breadcrumbs, dip in beaten eggs, then coat with crumbs (or flour). Fry in a pan over medium heat with oil until golden. For a lighter coating: dust slices with flour and bake at 180 °C (350 °F) for about 10 minutes.

Layer and bake

  1. Arrange the prepared slices in a baking dish, dusting each with flour and drizzling with oil if desired.

  2. Layer the slices with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. Add fresh basil leaves if using. Repeat layers as desired, usually 3–4.

  3. Finish with a final layer of Parmesan cheese for a crust.

  4. Bake at 180 °C (350 °F) for 20–30 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

911Calories
38 gProtein
34 gFat
112 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Mozzarella Cheese1 oz (28g)85
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Eggplant1 cup cubed (82g)35
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1
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.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

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. Mozzarella cheese + parmesan cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,093 recipes

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

  2. Eggplant + basiltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together271 recipes

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

  3. Tomato + basiltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,979 recipes

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

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

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  5. Tomato + mozzarella cheesetop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,577 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

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

What each ingredient does

Eggplants
Form the bulk of the dish, becoming soft and tender when baked through.
Mozzarella cheese
Melts into a stretchy layer and browns on top, adding richness.
Parmesan cheese
Adds savory flavor and forms a browned, crisp crust on top.
Eggs
Bind the breadcrumb or flour coating so it adheres to the eggplant slices.
Tomato sauce
Adds moisture and acidity that keeps the layers juicy while baking.

The step that matters

Salting and drawing out water from the eggplant. Eggplant is very porous and holds a lot of water. Salting and resting draws moisture out, so the slices do not turn soggy or watery in the baking dish.

Swap the basil

The recipe marks basil as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (eggplant, tomato, sauce, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, flour, egg):

  1. Capersfits about as well
  2. Basilthe original
  3. Oreganofits about as well
  4. Garlicfits less well

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

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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