No bake cold parmigiana is one of the many traditional variations of the classic eggplant parmigiana. Widespread in Sicily, especially in the Messina and Palermo area, no bake eggplant parmigiana shares all the ingredients with the traditional one: the substantial difference lies in the fact that it is not baked, but served on a plate and enjoyed cold or at room temperature: a tempting alternative if you live in areas that reach 110°F during the summer!
So to prepare the no bake cold parmigiana you just have to fry the eggplants and cook the tomato and basil sauce: you can then decide whether to serve this cold eggplant parmigiana in individual dishes – aesthetically it is the best solution – or in a single serving dish (more practical alternative if you have many diners). The no bake eggplant parmigiana is good when freshly made, but if you let it rest overnight in the refrigerator, it will acquire even more flavor!
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Ingredients
- Power 467,06 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 31,80 (g) of which sugars 10,35 (g)
- Proteins 13,66 (g)
- Fat 34,93 (g) of which saturated 8,78 (g)of which unsaturated 15,76 (g)
- Fibers 11,34 (g)
- Sodium 380,27 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 333 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
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How to prepare the no bake cold eggplant parmigiana
Puoi trovare la versione italiana della ricetta qui!
To prepare no bake eggplant parmigiana, start by preparing and cooking the eggplants: wash them, dry them and remove the stem. Then cut them into slices about 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thick.
As always, when frying the eggplants, it is advisable to salt and purge them. This method helps not only to eliminate any bitter aftertaste, but above all it ensures that they do not absorb too much oil when frying. Take a colander and arrange the eggplant slices in layers, sprinkling each layer with a lot of fine salt.
Then take a weight – for example a pot full of water – and place it inside the colander, so that it presses all the aubergines well. Let them drain for at least 30 minutes, then remove the pot, rinse and squeeze the aubergine slices and dry them carefully with a clean kitchen cloth.
Now move on to frying the eggplants: since by nature they absorb a little oil, I use extra virgin olive oil to fry the aubergines (alternatively, non-extra virgin olive oil may also be fine). In order not to waste too much, you can use a pan that is not too large and fry a few slices at a time. Pour plenty of oil and let it heat up very well.
Fry the eggplant slices for 3-4 minutes, turning them occasionally, until they are lightly browned. Drain and pat them dry with kitchen paper.
Now prepare the tomato sauce: finely chop the onion and brown it in a pan together with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add the tomato purée – if it is very thick, dilute it with a little water – add salt and cook with the pan covered for about 20 minutes.
At the end of cooking, when the sauce has thickened, turn off the heat and add a few fresh basil leaves.
Now that the ingredients are ready you can proceed to put your no bake cold parmigiana on the plate: for 2 diners I suggest you put it in individual plates, so that you won’t have to portion it and it will also be more aesthetically inviting.
Pour about a spoonful of tomato sauce on the bottom of the plate. Form a first layer of eggplant, placing them close together without overlapping them.
Season them with a little more tomato sauce. Add a generous spoonful of grated Parmesan.
Overlap another layer of eggplant, season with sauce and Parmesan, also adding two or three basil leaves. Proceed in this way until all the ingredients are used up.
You can serve the parmigiana cold immediately, or leave it to rest overnight in the refrigerator, so that it is perfectly flavored. In this case I advise you not to serve it as soon as it is removed from the fridge, but take it out about twenty minutes before eating it to fully savor all its aromas.
How to store
You can keep the cold eggplant parmigiana in the fridge for 3 days.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I avoid frying eggplants to prepare parmigiana?
If you want a light version of this no bake parmesan you can skip the frying required by the original recipe and grill the eggplant slices on a non-stick grill pan. If you don’t fry the eggplants you can also avoid putting them to purge in salt.
Varied doses for servings