Eggplant Parmigiana Lasagna (lasagne alla Parmigiana)

Method11 steps · about 1 hr 30 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Wash and slice the three eggplants. Peel the three garlic cloves and keep them whole. Drain the 10 oz fresh mozzarella and cut it into half or quarter slices. Grate the measured 150 g Parmigiano or Grana, keeping enough for the top. Wash the fresh basil leaves, if using.

   Uses 3 large eggplants (washed and sliced) · 3 garlic cloves (peeled) · 10 ounces fresh mozzarella (drained and sliced) · 150 g Parmigiano or Grana, grated (author’s metric quantity for 5.3 oz), divided among layers and topping · Fresh basil leaves, if using · Water for washing vegetables and basil and, only with dried pasta, blanching lasagne sheets

2. 2

   Step 2: Heat enough of the unmeasured frying oil in a deep frying pan or large skillet. Fry all the eggplant slices from step 1 until golden on both sides. Lift onto kitchen paper to drain excess oil. Keep the fried slices for the layers.

   Uses All washed eggplant slices from step 1 · Enough vegetable oil, or olive oil instead, to fry the eggplant

   
3. 3

   Step 3: If you used vegetable oil (3 tbsp) in step 2, remove it from the pan, wipe the pan with kitchen paper and add the 3 tablespoons sauce olive oil. If you fried in olive oil instead, pour out any excess and leave just enough in the pan for the tomato sauce; do not add another 3 tablespoons on top of that retained oil.

   Uses Frying oil left in the pan after step 2: discard vegetable oil, or retain a little if it was olive oil · 3 tbsp fresh sauce olive oil only if vegetable frying oil is discarded

4. 4

   Step 4: Heat the sauce oil prepared in step 3. Add the peeled garlic cloves from step 1 and sauté until they start to soften. Add all 700 ml passata and simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes, until slightly reduced and thickened. Season with tomato-sauce salt and black pepper. Remove the garlic cloves and set the sauce aside to cool.

   Simmer tomato sauce · 20 minUses The fresh or retained sauce olive oil from step 3 · All three whole garlic cloves from step 1 · 700 ml tomato passata (author’s metric quantity for 1.5 pints) · Salt for the tomato sauce, to taste · Black pepper to taste for tomato sauce

   
5. 5

   Step 5: For homemade béchamel, melt the 70 g béchamel butter over low heat. Stir in 70 g flour to form a roux, then remove from the heat and slowly whisk in all 500 ml milk until smooth. Return to low-moderate heat and stir constantly until it begins to simmer and thicken. For the ready-made alternative, omit these homemade ingredients and skip steps 5–6; use the 475 ml ready-made sauce in the layers instead.

   Uses 70 g unsalted butter, only for homemade béchamel (author’s metric quantity for 2.5 oz) · 70 g all-purpose or Italian 00 flour, only for homemade béchamel (author’s metric quantity for 2.5 oz) · 500 ml fresh whole milk, only for homemade béchamel (author’s metric quantity for 17 fluid oz)

6. 6

   Step 6: For homemade béchamel only, lower the heat, stir in the pinch of béchamel salt, black pepper and pinch of nutmeg, and stir for 1 minute. Take off the heat and allow to cool and thicken. Keep this sauce for steps 8–10; the homemade batch is an alternative to the 475 ml ready-made sauce, not an extra sauce.

   Finish homemade béchamel for 1 minute, then cool · 1 minUses The roux-and-milk sauce from step 5, only for the homemade route · 1 pinch béchamel salt · Black pepper to taste for homemade béchamel · 1 pinch nutmeg (freshly grated)

7. 7

   Step 7: If using dried lasagne sheets, blanch the entire 300 g batch in boiling salted water according to the packet until pliable, drain and separate the sheets; keep them ready for all the layers. Fresh or previously made fresh sheets need no precooking. Spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce from step 4 over the bottom of a rectangular lasagna dish, then add a single layer of the chosen pasta sheets. Keep the remaining sheets and tomato sauce for the following layers.

   Uses 300 g total sheets: first layer now; if dried, blanch the whole batch and keep remaining sheets for later layers · Boiling water only if the sheets are dried · Salt for blanching dried lasagne sheets; omit for fresh sheets · A thin base layer of the cooked tomato sauce from step 4; keep the rest

   
8. 8

   Step 8: If choosing ready-made béchamel (2 tbsp), check its consistency before layering; thin it with a little extra milk only if necessary. Cover the first pasta layer from step 7 with some tomato sauce from step 4, fried eggplant from step 2, sliced mozzarella and basil prepared in step 1. Sprinkle with some of the hard cheese grated in step 1 and spoon over 2 tablespoons of your chosen béchamel: homemade sauce from step 6 OR ready-made sauce. Keep the remaining ingredients for further layers.

   Uses The first pasta-and-sauce layer assembled in step 7 · Some remaining tomato sauce from step 4 · Some fried eggplant slices from step 2; reserve the remainder · Some drained mozzarella slices from step 1; reserve the remainder · Some washed basil leaves from step 1, if using · Some of the 150 g hard cheese grated in step 1; keep enough for remaining layers and top · 2 tbsp cooled homemade béchamel if that route was chosen · 2 tbsp ready-made béchamel instead if that route was chosen

   
9. 9

   Step 9: Add another layer of the prepared dried sheets from step 7 or uncooked fresh sheets from the measured stock. Add a thin layer of the cooked tomato sauce, then fried eggplant, prepared mozzarella, basil, grated cheese and 2 tablespoons of the chosen béchamel as in step 8. Repeat once or twice more according to the depth of the dish, using the inner-layer ingredients across the layers. Reserve enough pasta, chosen béchamel and grated hard cheese for the final top layer; do not restart any measured stock.

   Uses The first filled pasta layer from step 8 · Remaining sheets blanched in step 7, only for the dried-pasta route · Remaining fresh sheets from the 300 g total, only for the fresh-pasta route · Remaining tomato sauce from step 4, divided through the inner layers · Remaining fried eggplant from step 2 · Remaining prepared mozzarella slices from step 1 · Remaining washed basil leaves from step 1, if using · Further cheese from the original 150 g grated stock, keeping some for topping

10. 10

    Step 10: Finish the layered lasagna from step 9 with the last pasta sheets, the remaining chosen béchamel and the hard cheese reserved from the original 150 g stock. Add extra grated cheese beyond that stock only if needed. Keep the homemade and ready-made béchamel routes mutually exclusive.

    Uses The layered lasagna from step 9 · The last of the sheets blanched in step 7, only for the dried route · The last of the 300 g fresh-sheet stock, only for the fresh route · The remaining chosen homemade béchamel for the top, if using it · The remaining chosen ready-made béchamel for the top, if using it instead · The remainder of the original 150 g grated-cheese supply · Extra grated Parmigiano or Grana if needed beyond the measured 150 g, especially for topping

    
11. 11

    Step 11: Bake the assembled lasagna in a preheated oven at 180°C (356°F) until the pasta is tender and the top is golden brown and slightly crisp; turn the dish if needed for even cooking. The author gives no numeric baking duration. Once baked, let it rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting into six portions and serving.

    Once baked: rest lasagna for at least 5 minutes · 5 minUses The fully assembled lasagna from step 10