Today I want to share with you a recipe that comes all the way from the southern part of Italy. Known as Melanzane alla Parmigiana or simply as Parmigiana, this eggplant parmesan casserole is loved worldwide.

There are many ways you can make this dish. Some are healthy eggplant parmesan versions, some not so much, but are delicious nevertheless.

Anyway, I will teach you how to make eggplant parmesan in such a fantastic way that you will want to repeat this meal over and over again. So, let's start!

• The first thing that you should focus on is the sauce. You will be making a classic Marinara sauce for this recipe. This is what you should be doing.
• In a saucepan, add the olive oil and let it heat up on medium heat. Peel and cut the garlic cloves, cut them into slices, and add them to the saucepan. Let the garlic sizzle for a couple of seconds, but be careful not to burn it.

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• I like to use whole peeled tomatoes when I cook with canned versions. They are juicier and keep their flavor better. Transfer the can's content to a bowl. With your hand, squeeze the tomatoes until you crush them all. If you don't want to get your hand messy, well, you can use a kitchen scissor.
• Pour the tomatoes into the saucepan, add the basil leaves and stir well to combine.

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• Leave it to simmer for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. When it's done, add the seasoning and take it off heat.
• Great! Let's move to the eggplant part. With a peeler, remove the skin from your eggplants and cut it into strips. Place the strips on a plate and leave them there as you will need them later.

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• Cut the eggplants into thin 1 cm slices. Salt them on both sides and let them rest for a couple of minutes so they can lose some of their water.

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• In the meantime, place your eggs in a bowl and beat them. Season them with salt and pepper.
• Prepare two plates - one for the flour and one for the breadcrumbs.
• In a pan, heat up the frying oil.
• Take a paper towel and wipe as much moisture as you can from the eggplant slices. Once dried, these are the step you will have to make.

1. Take a slice at a time and powder it with flour.
2. Take the floured slice and coat it in the egg mixture.
3. Finally, bring it to the breadcrumb plate and make sure you cover them completely in breadcrumbs.

• When the oil is well heated, place the breaded slices of eggplant in the pan and fry them for 1 minute on each side or until brown and crispy (that is not black and burnt).

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• Take them out and place them on a paper towel to absorb some of the oil.
• After frying all slices, take a tbsp of your sauce and cover the oven-proof dish's base.
• Start arranging the fried eggplant slices on top of the sauce. When you cover all bottom, add another layer of sauce, then grate half of the parmesan and the mozzarella over it.

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• Repeat the layering - one more eggplant level, followed by one more sauce and cheese level.

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• Place the dish in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 F) and bake it for 20-30 minutes or until the top cheese has melted and has turned bubbly.
• While the eggplants are baking, return to the skin strips. Make sure that the oil from the pan is still hot, and add the strips in the pan. Fry them for 1 minute or so until they become crispy.

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• Take the dish out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving it. It will be easier to slice and plate.

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• Cut 4 pieces of this dish, plate them and top them with the crispy skin.

Suppose you want to go to the origins of my quick and easy eggplant parmesan recipe. In that case, you should know that its first ancestor goes all the way back to the 18th century when Vincenzo Corrado presented a dish that contained eggplants, butter, herbs, parmesan, and a sauce made out of egg yolks.

However, it needed another hundred years to develop and become the meal we know now.

As for the presented version, I like to say that it is the best eggplant parmesan recipe. Of course, you can make it healthier and grill the eggplant slices and not fry them. You can even make a vegan eggplant parmesan dish out of this. Just give it your own touch.

Finally, care to know what the eggplant parmesan calories are? They are listed below.

* If you like Italian casseroles, you can also give our Spinach and Ricotta Homemade Cannelloni dish a try.

** If you fried more eggplant slices than it fits in the dish, don't worry as they are the perfect leftover food. For example, you can add them in a sandwich along with some juicy tomatoes and a touch of mayo. You can also eat them as they are with some garlic or your favorite hot sauce.

*** I don't like to label this dish as a fried or a baked eggplant parmesan recipe. But if you do make it, give us a tag on Instagram and let us know your thoughts on the matter.