Eggplant White Parmigiana

Eggplant White Parmigiana is a lighter, tomato-less variation of the traditional eggplant parmigiana. Here is the recipe with ingredients and instructions.

Ingredients

• 3 medium eggplants
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying
• 200 g mozzarella
• 100 g grated Parmesan cheese
• 300 g béchamel sauce
• Fresh basil
• Black pepper
• Butter for the baking dish

Preparation

1. Wash the eggplants, cut them into slices about 1 cm thick, and place them in a colander sprinkling them with salt, to let them lose their vegetation water. Let them rest for about 30 minutes.
2. In the meantime, prepare the béchamel following your favorite recipe or by heating up a ready-made one.
3. Dry the eggplant slices with a kitchen towel to remove excess water.
4. Fry the eggplants in abundant oil until golden on both sides, then let them drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
5. Cut the mozzarella into cubes and let it drain.
6. Butter a baking dish and begin composing the parmigiana: lay down a layer of eggplants, cover with some mozzarella cubes, sprinkle with grated Parmesan, some chopped basil leaves, and a pinch of black pepper.
7. Pour a little béchamel over each layer, without overdoing it.
8. Repeat the layers until all the ingredients are used up, finishing with mozzarella, Parmesan, and a few flakes of butter.
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C (356 °F) for about 30 minutes or until the surface is golden and crispy.
10. Let it rest a few minutes before serving.

Curiosity

White parmigiana is a variant created to satisfy the craving for parmigiana even for those who cannot tolerate tomatoes or simply want to try a different flavor. In some cases, cooked ham or speck are also added between the layers for an even richer version.