Cheesy Eggplant Stacks is another one of those dishes that appears to be heavy and cloying, but it’s not. It’s really quite lovely and delicate, yet hearty enough to be the main course. This recipe was inspired by a stacked eggplant dish that was on the menu long ago at Bertucci’s. My memory of the specifics are vague, but I’m confident that I’ve taken the dish in a different direction. To the best of my recollection, their dish was heavy on the breading and the cheese. This recipe is eggplant forward.
I like the eggplant sliced in thick rounds – 1/2″ to 3/4″ thick, almost meaty. It’s really important that when you pre-bake the breaded eggplant slices you bake them until they’re crunchy and browned on the outside, and the eggplant is creamy and cooked through. You won’t have to worry about the eggplant falling apart because the crust will hold it in place. It is also good to note that the finer the bread crumbs, the better they’ll adhere to the eggplant and form a more refined coating, if that’s what you like. I prefer larger irregular crumbs, which produce a more rustic result, but that’s just me.
If you don’t have any marinara in your pantry, you could just use crushed tomatoes. I’ve found that Tuttorosso is too acidic, for my liking, but only 1/4 t of sugar mellows it out enough. I go back and forth regarding the mozzarella. Fresh mozzarella, or shredded, aged mozz? I chose fresh mozz for this recipe, but I think pizza cheese would be delicious too. The only thing you really shouldn’t skimp on is the basil pesto. If you don’t have any pesto on hand, be sure to buy some basil and just make a small batch of basil pesto in your mortar and pestle.
Cheesy Eggplant Stacks
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- salt for sweating the eggplant
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup sourdough breadcrumbs
- 1 cup Parmesan (divided, 3/4 cup for the breadcrumb mixture and 1/4 cup for toping the stacks)
- 2 cups marinara
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 pint basil pesto
- fresh chives and parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Prep the veg, and preheat the oven – Preheat the oven to 425 ℉, convection bake setting. Destem the eggplants and slice them into 1/2-3/4" rounds (no need to peel them). Sprinkle salt on both sides of the rounds and let them sit for 10-15 minutes, then blot them dry.
- Bread the eggplant – Whisk the eggs in a pie plate or a shallow bowl. Mix the sourdough breadcrumbs and 3/4 cup Parmesan together, and add them to a second bowl. Dip each side of each eggplant slice in the egg and then gently press into the breadcrumb mixture.
- Prebake the eggplant – Spread the eggplant slices on a lined baking sheet and spray with oil. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 7 minutes. Turn each slice, spray with oil, and bake another 7 minutes. They should be crunchy, and completely cooked through. Remove from the oven and let the baked rounds cool slightly. While the eggplant is baking, chop the chives and the parsley.
- Assemble the stacks – Turn down the oven to 400℉. Lay one of the larger slices on the baking sheet, top with a spoonful of marinara, a dot of pesto, and a slice of mozzarella. Place a second eggplant slice on top, and repeat. Continue building stacks of two slices until you run out of eggplant. Top each stack with a generous layer of parmesan cheese.
- Bake – Bake the stacks until the mozzarella has melted, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.
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