The BEST Crispy Eggplant with Tomato Sauce | Insanely Delicious

This crispy eggplant with tomato sauce is probably the best eggplant dish I have ever tasted. We’re talking a light, crispy texture with a ton of flavors, super easy to make, and all done using everyday ingredients. Serve this dish as a tapas appetizer or even as a side dish next to some grilled fish.

To make this recipe, I used a typical supermarket eggplant, also known as the globe eggplant. You can use other varieties if you like. The most important thing is to season each slice with salt before cooking and letting them rest for 15 minutes. This will extract the water; that way, your eggplant stays firm with absolutely no mush.

To make the tomato sauce, I used a combination of olive oil, garlic, canned tomato sauce, and oregano. You can mix it up and use other spices and herbs if you like. If you want some heat, a dash of crushed red pepper will do the trick.

TIPS & TRICKS to Make this Recipe: It’s important to fry your slices of eggplant on medium heat and nothing higher. Otherwise they will brown too quickly without being fully cooked through. It took me about 4 minutes per side to crisp them up. It may take you less or more. Just keep an eye on them.

Key Ingredients & Cookware I used in this Recipe:
MY COOKWARE
MY CHEF´S KNIFE
EXTRA VIRGIN SPANISH OLIVE OIL

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Watch the Video Below on How to Make Crispy Eggplant with Tomato Sauce

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Crispy Eggplant with Tomato Sauce

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Mediterranean

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 420 kcal

Author Albert Bevia @ Spain on a Fork

Ingredients

FOR THE CRISPY EGGPLANT

• 1 eggplant
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour 60 grams
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs 110 grams
• 1/4 cup grated manchego cheese 30 grams
• 1 tsp dried oregano 1 gram
• 1 tsp dried parsley 1 gram
• sea salt & black pepper
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil 120 ml

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 30 ml
• 3 cloves garlic (roughy chopped)
• 1 can tomato sauce (passata) 15 oz /425 grams
• 1 tsp dried oregano 1 gram
• sea salt & black pepper
• dash white sugar

EXTRAS

• chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Cut the eggplant into rounds that are 1 cm thick (a little under 1/2 inch)

2. Add the slices over a wire rack with paper towels underneath, all in a single layer, and season with sea salt on both sides, let them rest for 15 minutes

3. In the meantime make the tomato sauce, heat a sauce pan with a medium heat and add in the olive oil

4. After a couple of minutes add in the garlic, mix continuously, after 1 minute add in the canned tomato sauce, along with the oregano, and season with salt, pepper, and a dash of white sugar, mix together, then lower to a low-medium heat

5. After leaving the slices of eggplant to rest for 15 minutes, transfer them over some paper towels and pat completely dry

6. Add the flour into a bowl, crack the eggs into a separate bowl, season with salt & pepper and whisk together, add the panko breadcrumbs into a third separate bowl, add in the grated cheese, oregano, parsley, and season with salt & pepper, mix together

7. Heat a large fry pan with a medium heat and add in the sunflower oil

8. While the oil is heating coat the slices of eggplant, first in the flour, then into the egg wash, and finally into the breadcrumbs, making sure that at each stage they're fully coated all around

9. Once the oil is nice and hot in the fry pan, add the coated slices of eggplant, all in a single layer, cook in batches to not overcrowd the pan, go for 4 minutes per side or until golden and crispy all around, then transfer over a wire rack with paper towels underneath

10. Once all the eggplant has been fried up, grab the simmering tomato sauce and transfer into a shallow bowl, place on a serving dish and decorate the crispy eggplant around it, garnish with chopped parsley, serve at once, enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Get the Spanish Olive Oil I used to make this Recipe

Nutrition Facts

Crispy Eggplant with Tomato Sauce

Amount Per Serving

Calories 420 Calories from Fat 243

% Daily Value*

Fat 27g42%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Trans Fat 0.01g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 18g

Cholesterol 89mg30%

Sodium 691mg30%

Potassium 677mg19%

Carbohydrates 37g12%

Fiber 7g29%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 11g22%

Vitamin A 662IU13%

Vitamin C 11mg13%

Calcium 163mg16%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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