Eggplant parmigiana lasagna (lasagne alla parmigiana)

Lasagne alla parmigiana is a delicious fusion of two classic Italian dishes, lasagne al forno and eggplant parmigiana. This baked pasta combines layers of egg pasta sheets with fried eggplant slices, a homemade tomato sauce, fresh basil, mozzarella and béchamel. It’s a fabulous vegetable lasagna full of Mediterranean flavors that's perfect for meatless meals or as a starter for holiday meals.

What is eggplant parmigiana?

Eggplant parmigiana (known as eggplant parm in the US) is a very popular Southern Italian dish made with layers of eggplant baked in tomato sauce with mozzarella.

Some food historians believe the origins of this dish date back to the Arab occupation of Sicily in the 15^th century. It was the Arabs who introduced eggplants to Europe via Sicily.  Apparently, early versions of parmigiana were similar to Turkish moussaka.

However, the first published Italian recipe for parmigiana was in the 1733 cookbook “Cuoco galante” by Vincenzo Corrado, a chef from Puglia who worked for many aristocratic families in 18th century Naples. But, Corrado used zucchini instead of eggplant in his recipe.

Fast forward a hundred years to 1839 and the cookbook “Cusina casarinola co la lengua napolitana” by Ippolito Cavalcanti. This well-known Neapolitan cookbook describes a dish in which eggplants are fried and then arranged in a baking pan layer by layer with cheese, basil and stew broth or with tomato sauce and then stewed.

Much closer to the parmigiana we know and love today.

Lasagne alle parmigiana.

The origins of baked lasagne are older than eggplant parmigiana. Although tomato sauce didn’t become popular in Italy until the 1800s, baked lasagne pasta has been around since Roman times.

This eggplant parmigiana lasagna is just one of many Italian recipes for lasagne al forno. Of course, the most well-known is lasagne alla Bolognese but there are many more including versions with just vegetables such as radicchio lasagna and with fish or seafood.

There are also other pasta recipes made with parmigiana ingredients such as parmigiana timballo from Naples and rigatoni alla parmigiana which you can serve baked or unbaked.

Versions of eggplant parmigiana lasagna.

You can find a few slightly different versions of parmigiana lasagne al forno here in Italy. Some Italians use just mozzarella and some just béchamel. Others use both, which is how I made this recipe. There are also versions with cooked ham and even hard boiled eggs. Personally, I think those ingredients change the flavor profile.

Ingredients for lasagne alla parmigiana.

Eggplants: Eggplants are used in many Southern Italian recipes and Italians cultivate a number of varieties. I used quite large regular dark purple eggplants (in Italian melanzane nera) for my parmigiana lasagna. These are probably the most common outside of Italy and perfect for frying in large slices!

However, zebra eggplants (graffiti eggplants) are slightly sweeter and less bitter than regular eggplants as are the round Sicilian eggplants (melanzane viola). Both of these would be delicious in this lasagna.

Mozzarella: Fresh mozzarella cheese is best. I used fresh cow’s milk mozzarella known as fior di latte in Italian. This mozzarella is less acidic and less watery than mozzarella di bufala (made from water buffalo milk).

Chef's tip: I don’t like to use ready shredded mozzarella as this has an anti-caking agent to stop it clumping and it doesn’t melt as well as fresh whole mozzarella. But you can also use a low-moisture pizza mozzarella instead.

Pasta: I like making homemade lasagne sheets for lasagna. However, this time, I used ready-made fresh lasagne from Giovanni Rana. This company makes extra thin lasagne sheets, so you don’t need to precook them! 

Chef's tip: If ready made fresh pasta isn’t available and you don’t want to make your own, dried lasagne is fine. You will need to blanch the dry pasta sheets in boiling salted water before assembling your eggplant parmigiana lasagna.

Ingredients for the tomato sauce.

Passata: I used a homemade passata for my eggplant lasagna. You can use any good quality passata (often called purée or strained tomatoes in US). The sauce needs to be smooth so, peeled whole tomatoes or chopped tomatoes aren’t recommended. 

Garlic: Peeled whole garlic cloves add flavor to the tomato sauce. However, the cloves need to be removed once the sauce is ready. So for the most authentic flavor, keep them whole, don’t chop them or use garlic powder.

Other ingredients

Oil: I used vegetable oil to fry the eggplant and olive oil to make the tomato sauce. Of course, you can use olive oil to fry the eggplant, but you will need quite a lot and olive oil can be expensive. 

Fresh basil: Fresh basil is added to the lasagna while you are assembling it. You could also omit it. Dried basil isn’t recommended.

Other cheese: Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana cheese are perfect for this recipe. Freshly grated has the best flavor. However, neither are vegetarian as they contain animal rennet. Use a vegetarian parmesan cheese to make this recipe a 100% vegetarian lasagna.

Béchamel:You can use ready-made béchamel to speed up preparation times. But, you may need to make it more liquid by adding some milk or broth. Store-bought white sauce tends to be rather thick. I prefer to make my own. Instructions to make homemade béchamel are in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Step by step instructions.

Prep: Wash and slice the eggplants, peel the garlic and drain the mozzarella and cut it into half or quarter slices.

Step 1. Heat some oil in a deep frying pan or large skillet and fry the eggplant slices until golden brown on both sides. Remove the eggplant from the hot oil and place in a bowl lined with kitchen paper towels to drain the excess oil.

2) If you used olive oil for the eggplant and there's still a lot in the skillet, pour some out leaving just enough to make the tomato sauce. If you used vegetable oil, remove it from the pan. Clean with some kitchen paper and add some olive oil.

3) Heat the oil and add the garlic cloves. Sauté until they start to soften then add the passata. Simmer over a medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the passata has reduced and thickened slightly. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.

4) If making homemade béchamel, prepare it using flour, butter, milk and nutmeg. See instructions below in the recipe card.

Assemble your eggplant parmigiana lasagna.

Step 5 Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over the bottom of a rectangular baking dish or lasagna pan. Place a single layer of lasagne sheets on top.

6) Cover the lasagna sheets with some tomato sauce, then a layer of eggplant slices and add some pieces of mozzarella, basil leaves, grated cheese and a couple of tablespoons of béchamel on top.

7) Place another layer of lasagne sheets, cover with a thin layer of tomato sauce, then eggplant slices, mozzarella pieces, basil leaves, grated cheese and béchamel as above. Repeat once or twice more, depending on the depth of your dish.

Step 8) Finish with a layer of pasta sheets covered with béchamel and grated cheese.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°c (356°F) until the top is a golden brown and slightly crispy. You may need to turn the lasagna in the oven for even cooking. Let your eggplant parmigiana lasagna sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

What to do with leftovers.

You can keep leftover eggplant lasagna sealed in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven with some more grated cheese and pieces of butter or a drizzle of oil on top.

Let me know what you think.

This eggplant lasagna recipe does require a few steps, but they are all quite easy and the whole dish is pretty low cost compared to meat lasagna. To speed things up, you can use ready-made béchamel! You can also make the tomato sauce and fry the eggplant a day in advance. Keep them in the fridge and assemble the next day.

This vegetable lasagna is outstandingly delicious and full of Mediterranean flavor. Italians often serve it as a first course (primo piatto). However, it makes a nice one plate meal too.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear how it turns out and if you liked it. So, please leave a comment here on the blog or on The Pasta Project Facebook page.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Buon appetito!

Do check out my lasagne al forno collection for other delicious Italian lasagna recipes.

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