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Hasselback Italian Eggplant Fans are baked with garlic, spices and tomato basil sauce until tender then topped with breadcrumbs and grated cheese and broiled until caramelized. An innovative form for some of summer’s favorite ingredients and flavors!
I had a bumper crop of eggplant in my backyard garden early in the season this summer and was inspired to create lots of new recipes with one of my favorite summer veggies!
These Hasselback Italian Eggplant Fans are an innovative, (and much easier) baked form of the Sicilian-style of melanzane alla parmigiana (eggplant parm) that’s made with grated cheese instead of mozzarella.
Medium-sized “Italian” eggplant are thinly sliced and fanned out with garlic, spices and tomato basil sauce then roasted until tender. They’re then topped with homemade seasoned breadcrumbs and a grated pecorino and parmigiano cheese mixture and broiled until caramelized.
They’re hearty, meaty, tender, saucy and incredibly tasty!
And, I love to top these baked Italian eggplant off with some basil pesto when I have it on hand because, well, eggplant and basil go really great together!
Italian eggplant are also used in this beef and cheese stuffed eggplant and this Sicilian-style stuffed eggplant recipe.
This baked sliced eggplant is a great dish to make during the late summer months of August and September when lots of different types of eggplant are available at farmers’ markets or in your backyard garden! Hearty, rich, savory, packed with incredible flavor and melt-in-your-mouth tender. Plus, they have a built-in sauce! A great vegetarian lunch or dinner entrée or side. Mangia bene!
More Eggplant Recipes: Pasta alla Norma, Eggplant Polpette, Fried Breaded Eggplant, Roasted Baby Eggplant with Crispy Garlic and Herbs, Sicilian Caponata Relish, Ricotta Pasta with Eggplant and Tomatoes, Grilled Italian Eggplant and Creamy Eggplant Soup.
Main Ingredient Notes
- Eggplant: This recipe was designed to be made with a variety of eggplant known as “Italian eggplant” or any eggplant that has a similar size and shape, such as “meatball eggplant” or “lucilla” eggplant. Ideally, the eggplant that you use will be about 6-8 ounces each, 4-6” long and just a little plump (2½”-3” wide at thickest point). See Recipe Notes below for tips on making this recipe with a large, globe eggplant.
- Salt: Here, salt is used to help tenderize the raw eggplant flesh to make it more malleable/flexible so the slices can be fanned out better without breaking. It also pulls any bitterness out.
- Grated Cheeses: I use both sharp pecorino and earthy, savory parmigiano cheese here for the best balance of flavor. Grana Padano is a great substitute for the parmesan.
- Garlic: No explanation needed! Use as much or as little as you like.
- Tomato Basil or Marinara Sauce: This is used on the bottom of the baking pan, in the eggplant layers and on top. It adds moisture to the cooking process, but also provides a complementary built-in sauce for the finished dish. Use homemade marinara or your favorite store-bought variety.
- Breadcrumbs, Dried Herbs and Spices: Making seasoned breadcrumbs from scratch is always the best idea. I generally purchase fine breadcrumbs from a local bakery and then turn them into seasoned breadcrumbs myself. It’s so easy and can be made with ingredients that you probably already have on hand. Once you make your own, you will likely never go back to store-bought! My main advice–use good quality spices and dried herbs. If they have been in your cupboard for several years and look sketchy–replace them! Having said all this, you can, of course, use store-bought seasoned Italian bread crumbs rather than make them from scratch, but the taste will not be the same.
- Pesto: An optional ingredient but use some to top off the eggplant fans before broiling if you have it on hand! Either homemade pesto or purchased can be used.
How to Make Hasselback Italian Eggplant
- Prep all ingredients. Chop the garlic. Mix the grated cheese together and set aside. Make the seasoned breadcrumbs if you do not have any on hand.
Pro-Tip
You can make the seasoned breadcrumbs several days in advance and hold them sealed at room temperature.
- Make several ½” thick slices into each eggplant and fan out as much as possible without tearing the eggplant flesh.
- Sprinkle salt lightly in between all the layers, then set aside the eggplant to rest for 1 to 3 hours in a single layer on a wire rack over a sheet pan.
- After the eggplant have rested, pat them dry of any residual liquid that has been released with a paper towel. The flesh should be a bit softer and more flexible at this point.
- Rub the bottom of a large baking dish with some olive oil. Then spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom.
- Arrange the eggplant on the sauce in a single layer with the slices fanned out as much as possible. Then sprinkle garlic and crushed red pepper in between the eggplant layers/slices followed by some sauce in between the layers and on top of the eggplant.
- Drizzle each eggplant lightly with olive oil. Cover baking dish with foil and transfer to the middle rack of a 375˚F preheated oven.
- Cook until eggplant is tender. Then remove baking dishes from oven and turn the broiler on low. Turn each eggplant over so that the extra saucy part is on top. Make sure that each eggplant is coated in some sauce.
- Carefully sprinkle seasoned breadcrumbs in some of the layers and on top of the eggplant.
- Next, sprinkle the grated cheese on top of each eggplant, followed by a lightly drizzle of olive oil and a small dollop of (optional) pesto.
- Broil for 1 to 2 minutes only to brown the top. Do not walk away and pay close attention so that the eggplant do not burn.
- Remove from the oven and serve with some of the accompanying sauce and (optional) fresh basil. You can also serve some additional sauce or pesto on the side. Enjoy!
More Italian Vegetables
Frequently Asked Questions
No. There’s no need to peel the eggplant in this recipe. The smaller varieties, like what is used here (“Italian eggplant”), have tender skin and it will soften more during the roasting process.
Italian eggplant is a variety of eggplant with tender flesh and a mild flavor. It’s sweeter, smaller and has thinner skin that the common, large globe eggplant.
This recipe was specifically designed for Italian eggplant or any eggplant that has a similar size and shape, such as “meatball eggplant” or “lucilla” eggplant. Ideally, the eggplant that you use will be about 6-8 ounces each, 4-6” long and just a little plump (2½”-3” wide at thickest point).
Common, large globe eggplant are too large for this recipe as written, but can be used if the partial ½” slices are horizontally along the length of the eggplant. Then, the finished hasselback eggplant can be portioned for each person.
Besides its size, Italian eggplant tends to be more tender and contain less seeds that regular large globe eggplant. They can be used in any eggplant dish, and are especially great in Italian recipes like caponata or turned into a meat and cheese stuffed eggplant.
For more on the different varieties of eggplant, click here.
For this hasselback eggplant recipe, I do not recommend it. Panko breadcrumbs have a dryer, flakier and larger consistency than regular, fine breadcrumbs. Since we are layering the breadcrumb mixture in between multiple slices in each eggplant, larger panko would not really work well.
Love the parm flavor combination of sauce and cheese? Check out my chicken parm and turkey meatball sub recipes!
Substitutions and Variations
- Large, Globe Eggplant: If you only have access to large globe eggplant, you can definitely still make this recipe! Just cut the partial ½” thick slices are horizontally along the length of the eggplant. Then, the finished hasselback eggplant can be portioned for each person.
- Cheese: You can use all pecorino or all parm if that’s what you have on hand.
- Piccante: Make this hasselback eggplant with arrabbiata sauce for a dish with a serious extra kick of heat!
- Mix-Ins: Add some pine nuts and raisins/currants to the layers for a touch of Sicilian-ness.
TOP TIPS for Hasselback Italian Eggplant
- Prep: Do not peel the eggplant. It is tender and will soften further during the cooking process.
- Eggplant:This recipe was designed to be made with a variety of eggplant known as “Italian eggplant” or any eggplant that has a similar size and shape, such as “meatball eggplant” or “lucilla” eggplant. Ideally, the eggplant that you use will be about 6-8 ounces each, 4-6” long and just a little plump (2½”-3” wide at thickest point).
- Serving: Enjoy as a vegetarian entrée with a large green salad or sautéed vegetables. Don’t forget some crusty bread to sop up all the wonderful sauce and fare la scarpetta!
- Storage: To store hasselback Italian eggplant leftovers, cool them completely, then refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze them in a freezer container for up to 3 months. The eggplant do not need to be completely thawed before reheating.
Hasselback Italian Eggplant Fans “Parmesan”
Ingredients
For the Eggplant:
- 8 Italian or other similar small eggplant , (about 2 ½-3 pounds); see Notes.
- 1-1½ tsp salt
- 3-4 cups marinara/tomato basil sauce , (either homemade or store bought) + more for serving (optional)
- About 2 Tbsp rough chopped garlic
- Pinch crushed red pepper, (optional)
- About 5 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs, (see recipe below)
- ⅓ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grano Padano cheese , (3-4 ounces)
- ⅓ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese , (3-4 ounces)
- About ½ cup basil pesto, (optional)
- Chopped fresh basil, for serving (optional)
For the Seasoned Breadcrumbs:
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs, (fine texture)
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp dried basil
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder or granulated garlic
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Gather and prep all ingredients according to specifications above. Mix the grated cheese together and set aside. (Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)⅓ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grano Padano cheese, ⅓ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- Make the seasoned breadcrumbs by mixing together all ingredients until well combined. Set aside.NOTE: You can make the breadcrumbs 1-2 days in advance and hold them sealed at room temperature.1 cup plain breadcrumbs, 1 Tbsp dried oregano, 1 Tbsp dried basil, 1 Tbsp garlic powder or granulated garlic, 1 Tbsp onion powder, 1 tsp ground black pepper
- Prep the eggplant. Cut off most of the thick stem and any other thorny leaves and discard. Leave the eggplant unpeeled.8 Italian or other similar small eggplant
- Then, leaving about 1” at the top (stem side) of the eggplant uncut, make several slices into each eggplant that are about ½” thick (about 4 to 6 slices per eggplant and fan out as much as possible without tearing the eggplant flesh. (See photo above.)
- Sprinkle salt lightly in between all the layers. Do not over salt as the salt will remain on the eggplant.1-1½ tsp salt
- Set aside the eggplant to rest for 1 to 3 hours in a single layer on a wire rack over a sheet pan (so that any liquid that’s released can drain out.)
- After the eggplant have rested, preheat oven to 375˚F and arrange a rack in the center of the oven. Use the convection option if your oven has that. Arrange a second rack under the broiler.
- Pat the eggplant dry of any residual liquid that has been released with a paper towel. The salt will have likely turned the inside eggplant flesh a little brown, and this is ok. The flesh should be a bit softer and more flexible at this point.
- Rub the bottom of a baking dish large enough to hold the eggplant with some olive oil. Use two baking dishes, if necessary, as I’ve done here.
- Then, spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of each baking dish. Arrange the eggplant on the sauce in a single layer with the slices fanned out as much as possible.
- Sprinkle the garlic and crushed red pepper in between the eggplant layers/slices. It’s not necessary to be that precise here–we just want to make sure each eggplant gets some. Sprinkle any leftover garlic and pepper flakes over the outside of the eggplant.About 2 Tbsp rough chopped garlic, Pinch crushed red pepper
- Next, spoon some sauce into all the layers and also on top of each eggplant. If you generally enjoy things extra-saucy, use more sauce!
- Drizzle each eggplant lightly with olive oil. Then cover baking dish with foil and transfer to oven.
- Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until the eggplant is tender all the way through as tested with a fork or sharp knife. (Actual length of time depends on the size of the eggplant and your oven.)
- Remove baking dishes from oven and turn the broiler on low.
- Turn each eggplant over so that the extra saucy part is on top. Make sure that each eggplant is coated in some sauce.
- Then, carefully sprinkle seasoned breadcrumbs in some of the layers and on top of the eggplant. (You may not need all the breadcrumbs.)1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- Next, sprinkle the grated cheese mixture on top of each eggplant, followed by a lightly drizzle of olive oil. If you’re including the pesto, then place a small dollop of pesto on top of each eggplant on top of the cheese on each eggplant.About ½ cup basil pesto
- Transfer the baking dish back to the oven under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes only to brown the top. Do not walk away and pay close attention so that they do not burn.
- Remove from the oven and serve with some of the accompanying sauce and (optional) fresh basil. You can also serve some additional sauce or pesto on the side. Buon Appetito!
Video
Notes
- Total recipe time does not include the eggplant resting time of 1 to 3 hours fyi.
- This recipe was designed to be made with a variety of eggplant known as “Italian eggplant” or any eggplant that has a similar size and shape, such as “meatball eggplant” or “lucilla” eggplant. Ideally, the eggplant that you use will be about 6-8 ounces each, 4-6” long and just a little plump (2½”-3” wide at thickest point).
- Common, large globe eggplant are too large for this recipe as written, but can be used if the partial ½” thick slices are horizontally along the length of the eggplant. Then, the finished hasselback eggplant can be portioned for each person.
- There’s no need to peel the eggplant. The smaller varieties, like what is used here, have tender skin and it will soften more during the roasting process.
- I figured on one eggplant portion per person, but this may be more or less depending on the size of the eggplants. Adjust accordingly.
- The baking time is approximate and may be a bit more or less based on the size of the eggplant.
- You may have some breadcrumbs leftover. They will hold for a few weeks in the refrigerator.
- If you use seasoned breadcrumbs frequently, I suggest making a double or triple batch and then you will have them whenever you need. The seasoned breadcrumbs in this recipe are very similar to those used in my chicken cutlet recipe, but without the grated cheese.
- To store leftovers, cool the eggplant completely, then refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze them in a freezer container for up to 3 months. The eggplant do not need to be completely thawed before reheating.
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I received so many high praises on this dish. It’s a keeper recipe, for sure!