Eggplant Milanese

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This meatless Monday marvel is so luxurious and comforting.  While Milanese refers to the method of dredging in breadcrumbs and frying in oil, it is typically used on thin cuts of meat, like chicken.   Eggplant Milanese is a fabulous use of the breadcrumb dredging technique and gives a pleasing result with a crispy exterior and a buttery soft aubergine interior.

QUITE HUMBLE INGREDIENTS FOR THIS FABULOUS DISH

The breadcrumbs play best supporting actor and if you’ve never made your own breadcrumb mixture, you’ll be quite proud of yourself with these.  This crumb mixture is so flavorful.  A dried chili pepper and handful of basil whizzed together with none other than stale everyday bread becomes a thing of beauty.  You’ll want to make your own breadcrumb mixtures more often and use them on everything.

LOOK HOW GOLDEN & CRISPY THESE GET :-)

This dish also comes together quite quickly with minimal effort.  You can certainly make your own marinara to serve on the side, but my thought process was that if I’m making my own breadcrumbs, I can probably save a bit of time by using a good quality jarred marinara. There are so many out there on the store shelves.  I really like Lucina’s and will go for the spicy version when I can find it.


Try this excellent eggplant dish and see if you can win some meat lovers over to an occasional meatless dish.

Eggplant Milanese
Serves 4

2 medium eggplant

Breadcrumb Mixture
4 slices bread (preferably set out to dry out for a day).  I used the heals of wheat bread.
1 chili pepper, like Cayenne or 1/4 teaspoon dried Cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 handful basil leaves, plus extra for garnish


1 egg
1 cup buttermilk


Salt & pepper
Olive oil


Jarred marinara sauce, warmed


Preheat oven to 375 degrees


Make the breadcrumbs by adding all the crumb mixture ingredients to a good processor.  Whir until small crumbs and well blended together.  Pour into a pie plate or other plate to be able to dredge the eggplant in.


Beat the egg and buttermilk in another pie plate or bowl sufficient to dredge the eggplant in.


Slice the top off the eggplant, then cut just a bit off the bowled sides of the eggplant so the slices are more even in thickness (see video).  Cut each eggplant lengthwise evenly into 4 slices.


Place each eggplant slice into the egg and buttermilk then into the breadcrumbs, making sure to press the breadcrumbs into the eggplant.  Place on a baking sheet & repeat with the remaining eggplant slices.


Place a drizzle of olive oil into a medium skillet and heat to medium.  Sauté the eggplant slices in batches until crispy and golden, about 2-3 minutes on each side.  Remove to a baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes.


Serve immediately with marina and extra basil leaves if desired.