Go Back Email Link
–+ servings

Authentic Italian Eggplant Parmigiana Recipe from Sicily

PIATTO RECIPES
Sicilian Eggplant Parmigiana is bold, rustic, and full of character. Fried eggplant are layered with hard-boiled eggs, caciocavallo, tuma cheese, basil, and tomato sauce, then baked into towering stacks. A traditional dish that celebrates the rich flavors of Sicily.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 people

Equipment

  • 1 baking pan
  • 1 deep skillet for frying for frying the eggplant
  • paper or absorbent towel for draining the fried eggplant
  • 1 medium pot for making the tomato sauce

Ingredients
  

Tomato Purée Mix (You'll Have Extra)

  • 21 oz Tomato Purée here: passata di datterini
  • 10.5 oz Whole peeled tomatoes seeds removed: 300 g (10.5 oz)
  • 1 handful Fresh basil
  • 2 pinches Fine salt or to taste
  • 2 cloves Fresh Garlic
  • 4 tbsp Olive oil

Assembly

  • 4 medium Eggplants round or oblong but be sure they are a sweet variety: graffiti, japanese, viola
  • 1 handful Fresh basil or to taste—add some torn pieces on each layer
  • 4 whole Eggs hard boiled
  • 5.3 oz Tuma cheese grated
  • 5.3 oz Caciocavallo grated; or provolone
  • Oil for frying: peanut or sunflower not canola

Instructions
 

Tomato Sauce (used for both versions)

  • Sauté a couple of garlic cloves in olive oil. When golden, discard the cloves—their work is done!
  • Add datterini tomato purée (or cherry tomato purée) and some San Marzano tomatoes for body.
  • Simmer/reduce ~5 minutes—just enough to concentrate.
  • Add a little basil in the sauce while it cooks; reserve lots of torn fresh basil for the layers.

Fry the Eggplants

  • Slice round eggplants into rounds about ½ cm (≈¼ in) thick.
  • Heat oil (peanut or sunflower) to 170–180°C (≈350°F).
  • Fry in batches 3–5 minutes until golden; keep the interior tender.
  • Transfer the fried eggplant slices to an absorbent towel and lightly salt them.

Prep the “Sicilian” Add-Ins

  • Hard-boil eggs ahead of time; slice them thinly and cleanly.
  • Shred the cheeses.

Assemble (Turrets/Stacks)

  • Lightly sauce the bottom where you’ll build the turrets.
  • Layer 1 (order matters): fried eggplant rounds → sliced hard-boiled eggs → abundant caciocavallo → basil → tuma → a couple of spoonfuls of sauce (in the Sicilian version the sauce goes last in each layer).
  • Repeat for ≈5 layers (build sturdy stacks).
  • Top with caciocavallo + tuma cheeses.

Bake

  • Bake at 200°C (392°F) for 10–15 minutes.
  • Grill/Broil a couple of minutes to finish.
  • Let rest a few minutes to stabilize. Serve hot!
Keyword cheesy
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!