Eggplant Parmesan Stacks
A fancy Italian crowd pleasing appetizer.
The simplicity of this dish is the best part. These are perfect for a party appetizer or a side dish for your dinner party.
You basically just have to sweat out the eggplant slices. Then roast them in he oven. Then create your stacks. That is all! And you can prep these the day before by roasting the eggplant to have ready.
The assembly is actually quite fun and simple at this point. I use a jarred marinara that I am a loyal fan of. And then you just have to go up three levels with the stacking.
PRO TIP: keep the eggplant slices in ascending order from largest to smallest when assembling your stacks. Large going on the bottom. Your stacks may still topple over like mine did but that was because of the thick fresh mozzarella slices.
Eggplant Parmesan Stacks
Ingredients
- 4 small eggplants sliced 1/2 inch thick
- olive oil spray
- salt + pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tsp Italian blend seasoning
- 1.5 tbs olive oil
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1 lb fresh mozzarella sliced thin
Instructions
- You can either grill your eggplant slices on the barbecue or in a pan or roast them like I did.
- Sprinkle your eggplant with salt and let them sit for 15 minutes. Then take a paper towel and blot them to remove excess moisture. This step prevents sogginess and that bitter taste they typically have.
- Preheat oven to 420 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Transfer the slices to your baking tray so that none are overlapping and spray them with olive oil. Season them with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, flip them over and spray the other side with olive oil. Season to taste. Pop back in the oven for 7 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, pecorino cheese, Italian seasoning and oil until combined.
- Reduce oven heat to 375 F.
- When stacking, first drizzle with the tomato sauce, then the breadcrumbs and lastly the mozzarella. Repeat so that there are 3 levels. Additional tip is to utilize the same size eggplant “coins” in each stack. Assemble and bake for 12 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
