Vegetables don’t excite me, as a rule. This dish is an exception. Based on the classic Italian eggplant parmigiana, this baked dish consists of layers of eggplant slices, a home-cooked tomato sauce with bacon and cheese. Omit the bacon from the recipe, or substitute mushrooms, and you have a wonderful vegan dish.
I must warn you that this is a photo-intensive entry. There are 11 photos in this set and I did not paginate the entry so that you can just scroll up and down for easy reference. I normally don’t like long pages but I want to get the maximum effect on this one. I went all the way with the photography because… We’re still not done with the cooking videos. My husband isn’t too happy with them because he says they’re “too dark.” In short, we’re installing additional lights in the kitchen.
So, be a little patient if the page loads more slowly than usual.
Ingredients :
3 large eggplants (I used the round kind instead of the longish ones so that there would be less pieces to fry)
100 grams of smoked bacon
2 large white onions, chopped
half a clove of garlic, peeled and chopped (I cheated; I used bottled fried garlic)
1 can of stewed tomatoes
a handful of fresh basil, torn into small pieces
1 large bell pepper, trimmed and chopped
about 3/4 cup of olive oil, perhaps more
225 gram pack of your favorite cheese (half cut into slices; the other half, grated)
about a cup of bread crumbs
salt
pepper
sugar
Start cooking:
Trim the ends of the eggplants and cut diagonally into 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick slices.
Heat 1/4 c. of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. Fry the sliced eggplants in batches until lightly browned.
Flip them over for even browning. Eggplants absorb oil like sponge absorbs water so you will need to add more olive oil with every batch. When all the eggplant slices are nicely browned, place them on a plate and set aside. You want them to cool a bit for easy handling later.
Reheat whatever olive oil remains in the pan. Cut the bacon into small pieces and add to the oil. Cook for about a minute then add the onions and garlic. Cook until the onions start to soften.
Add the chopped bell pepper and continue cooking for about 2 minutes.
Pour in the liquid from the can of stewed tomatoes. With your hand, crush the whole tomatoes straight into the pan. Throw in the basil leaves. Stir. Season with salt, lots of freshly ground pepper and a teaspoonful of sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Line the bottom of an oven proof pan with the fried eggplant slices.
Cover with half of the tomato-bacon sauce.
Add slices of cheese.
Sprinkle bread crumbs over the cheese slices.
Arrange the remaining eggplant slices on top of the cheese. Pour in the remaining half of the tomato-bacon sauce. Top with grated cheese and more bread crumbs.
Bake in a preheat 175oC oven for 20 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
Happy eating. :)
Obesity will not be a problem for poor Filipino kids
Hi Connie, I’ve always wanted to make baked eggplant parmigiana, and I like your version of it. Yours is easy to follow, especially with the photos. Do you think it will still come out as good if I use shredded mozzarella instead of the cheese slices? I’m bringing this to a potluck on Sunday for sure. Many thanks.
Josie, I think that mozzarella or cream cheese will be superb. Even a combination of cheeses.
Thanks, Connie. I’ll probably combine mozzarella and ricotta. Cream cheese will be yummy, too. By the way, do you think this is freezable like lasagna? I want to make two pans of this kasi and save one for later.
I read your ingredients again, and ang kulit ko naman pala. You already mentioned to use any favourite cheese (and half, grated). Pasensiya ka na, Connie, I must’ve missed it because I got excited over the photos (excuses, excuses!).
owww wow, sarap, sarap, nito.. I could already taste it just by looking at the pictues which you superbly illustrated. I will sure follow this. Baka nga gamitan ko ng portabello mushrooms.. yummy talaga… My husband don’t prefer eggplant or mushroom, so para sa akin lang ito.. Ay naku, sabihin ko piliin na lang niya yung bacon bits na ilalagay ko. LOL
LOL Josie, wag mataranta! hehehe Mozzarella and ricotta sounds great. I don’t think you can freeze it. Vegetables turn funny in the freezer.
Ebba, my younger daughter does not eat eggplants (her Big Sis loves eggplants) but she ate the sauce — bacons and veggies — with bread. Baka naman yung sauce magustuhan ng hubby mo.
FYI omitting bacon bits/subbing with mushrooms won’t make the dish vegan, as vegans don’t eat dairy (and sometimes not even honey). Vegetarian is the right term, unless you meant to add cheese to the omitted ingredient! :) Or subbing soy cheese, but soy cheese is pretty gross…
Ooohh, I see. So there’s a difference between a vegetarian and a vegan. Now I understand why “vegan” is sometimes referred to as the “new anorexia.” Thanks for the info. :)
Vegans who aren’t getting enough nutrition aren’t doing it right I reckon :) Some people who switch to veganism don’t bother to research dietary needs properly, which is probably where the “new anorexia” thing comes from. I eat vegan food a couple of times a week for health purposes and it’s very good for you if you ensure that you’re getting in enough vitamins and protein. Now to make this on-topic, I love love love eggplant, and I so appreciate seeing a recipe with homemade sauce rather than store bought sauce.
Oops, forgot to add… I apologise to people with slow internet connections, but I really like all the photos in this entry! What camera do you use?
It’s a Canon 40D. :)
interesting fact lee. so the vegans are the ones who doesnt eat anything that has eyes or anything that comes from it, right?
anyways, connie, i so love eggplant. and this recipe looks yummy. =) and good timing too. as i’m cutting on meat. medyo napapraning lang ako sa news ng mga double dead pork. kya kung d din lang ako makadaan sa grocery ng meat (monterey specifically) i opt not to eat meat at all. paranoid ba? hahaha…
Not really, vegetarians have so many alternatives to choose from. Its not true that they don’t get enough nutrition.
Connie, I tried your baked eggplants with bacon and cheese two days ago, and my husband had it for lunch yesterday at work, and his coworker told my husband to have me teach her to cook the baked eggplant, so today, the recipe that I print out from this website, I sent the recipe to her through my husband.
Noemi, oh no, I’m not saying vegetarians don’t get enough nutritions at all, quite the opposite in fact! :) I know a few beginner vegans who don’t plan their meals properly and end up not getting adequate protein (or in some extreme cases, end up eating only fries and fruit). I’m eating more vegetarian meals these days, so I know that it’s pretty important to know where plant sources of protein, B vitamins and calcium are if you’re switching from an omnivore diet to a vegetarian/vegan one.
The baked eggplants with bacon and cheese was a favourite last Sunday at our get-together with friends. And my husband, who so loved it, has just asked me to make it for their coming office party. Talagang masarap, Connie. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
hey connie..
can this be cooked in a microwave? if so, how long should it go in for? thanks and it looks absolutely yummy!
It won’t brown in the microwave.
hi connie. if can of stewed tomatoes is not available, can i use fresh tomatoes instead? or add tomato sauce?
Fresh tomatoes will be much, much better! :) You might want to stew them first (simmer in a little water until soft), peel off the skins and chop.
Just checked out the baked egg plant. Pictures are very helpful, should try it out this weekend. I’m sure it will be a hit with a family of boys.
Wow! This dish is fantastic. My husband actually liked it…loved it! He even ate leftovers by choice, which is saying VOLUMES! We used fresh mozzarella, it was SOOOOO yummy! Thank you!
I tried this and it was great. Being the youngest at work, most of my co-workers are amazing cooks (3 even caters). When I brought this to work they were all praising how good it was and none of them knew how to make it. It was nice. Thanks ate for sharing…. The pictures are great.
hi connie. question. 1 can of stewed tomatoes is equivalent to how many fresh tomaoes?
also, will this recipe work if instead of using a large baking tray/dish, i will put them in little trays and bake them inside an oven toaster? unfortunately i don’t have an oven. huhuhuhu
Re tomatoes. About half a kilo.
Re oven toaster. Ah, that I cannot say since most oven toasters do not have auto thermostat settings.
hmmm. maybe i’ll wait just wait for the top to brown? :-) i’ll experiment and will post the results here.
thanks!
Hi… i am great fan of your website. I love your home cooking recipes, they are all so good. =)
Thank you. I’m glad you find them useful. :)
I can’t wait to try this recipe, Connie! I had part of a package of bacon to use up and had just bought a lovely eggplant, so searched in case there was a good way to combine them. This sounds absolutely delicious.