READY IN ABOUT 9 hrs

Eggplant-Ziti Parmesan

Read Reviews (19)

"I come from a big Italian family, my mom made this all the time. Very delicious and very hardy. A great anytime meal. The secret to good eggplant is to peel and drain it, so it's not soggy. Serve with crusty italian bread, and a tossed salad, and you have a hearty meal. It seems like a lot of work but it's not. I hope you enjoy your meal." — MOMMULL1214

Directions

Place the eggplant slices in a bowl, and sprinkle with salt. Let drain over a bowl in the refrigerator for at least an hour. I like to do this overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook for about 6 minutes, or until almost tender. It will cook the rest of the way in the oven. Drain. Mix together the ricotta cheese and eggs in a small bowl. Stir in half of the mozzarella cheese and Pecorino Romano cheese.
Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange layers of eggplant, cheese, ziti pasta, and more sauce all the way to the top of the pan. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until heated through and cheese is lightly browned.

Kitchen-Friendly View

COOK 45 mins
READY IN 8 hrs 45 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Mar 13, 2006

This is the best ziti I have ever made. The only chane I made was to use canned whole tomatoes rather than a prepared sauce, and I dressed the tomatoes up in an Italian seasoning and added a tablespoon of oil. This had just the right amount of cheese and sauce. Almost forgot: I had to cook it longer than 45 in order to get the cheese golden and the eggplant soft. Depending on your oven, I guess--it's more like 1 hour and 5 minutes.

—SuzanneR

See full review »

Most Helpful Critical Review

Sep 07, 2010

I made this without draining the eggplant, and it didn't turn out soggy at all. The texture was nice, and it made a good hearty meal with garlic bread. My only complaint was that it needed a lot more zing than just the marinara sauce. I will definitely try this recipe again, but I'll add my own seasonings, herbs, and probably some extra veggies for more flavor.

—Leby

See full review »

23 Ratings

Oct 13, 2009

This was my first time cooking eggplant and I think it went really well! What attracted me to eggplant is how much cheaper it is than meat and still satisfying. This reminds me of lasagna, and I like that this dish includes pasta so it is more filling. I made a few changes. Before doing anything, I preheated the oven to 350 to "pre-cook" the eggplant. I beat two eggs in one bowl and had another bowl of Italian bread crumbs. I dipped the eggplant slices in the egg and then in the crumbs, and then put the slices on a baking sheet. I cooked the eggplant in the oven for about 10 minutes on each side so that it was a little crispy and would hold up better. Then, when layering it all together, I added a layer of cooked fresh spinach on top of the sauce but underneath the eggplant. I left out the egg in the cheese layer, because I had already dipped the eggplant in egg and I just figured that was enough. I didn't miss the egg from the cheese layer, it was plenty rich. I used two jars of sauce for this, because I like a good amount of sauce and other reviewers said it was dry with the recommended amount. And I added some sauteed onion and garlic to the tomato sauce. Mine really came out amazing and I can't wait to make it again!

—LawBabe

See full review »

Dec 03, 2007

This was a very good alternative to a more traditional eggplant parmesan. My husband and I would have liked a little more sauce so keep some extra on hand if you enjoy lots of sauce too. Also, I did not salt the eggplant for a full hour (or overnight) but more like 20 minutes and it still turned out fine. We had this with a big salad and there were plenty of leftovers for lunches.

—mlb126

See full review »

Jul 21, 2010

My husband is a huge meat eater, so I diced the eggplant up & breaded it with Italian bread crumbs in order to give it more of a meaty texture. I added some mushrooms, onions, tomatoes & zucchini to the bottom layer. I used whole wheat pasta & left it out of the layers because I had accidentally over cooked them over the stove & didn't want them to get anymore soggy in the oven. I just served the Eggplant Parmesan on top of the noodles like you would spaghetti. The cheesy layer on top of the eggplant & other veggies was delish! Will definitely make this again.

—hurricaneaden

See full review »

Jul 21, 2008

Definitely add more sauce to this! Overall the taste was great, but it was a little on the dry side.

—teamfitch

See full review »

Jan 24, 2011

A great way to use eggplant! I admit to being a bit nervous about not cooking the eggplant first but, if you slice the eggplant very thin, no need to worry. They cooked beautifully with the ziti. Aside from using about twice more sauce than the cook suggested, I followed this recipe exactly as written and it was a huge winner for me. Thank you for sharing!!

—bellablue

See full review »

Aug 02, 2010

Eggplant was blah. The rest wasn't exciting. Not to mention we had WAY too much leftovers for 2 people. Will not be making this again.

—lbethc

See full review »

Edit

Glad you liked it! Your friends will, too:

Did you tweak the recipe? Edit and save your own version of it!

Edit this recipe

More Recipes Like This See all

Stuffed Eggplant Parmesan Rolls

Eggplant Parmesan For the Slow Cooker

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant Parmesan with Fresh Basil and Smoked Mozzarella

Eggplant Parmesan II

Eggplant Parmesan I

Eggplant Parmigiana Caponata

Eggplant and Zucchini Parmesan In the Slow Cooker

Healthier Eggplant Parmesan II

Zucchini Parmesan

Nutrition

Calories
570 kcal
29%

Carbohydrates
63.5 g
20%

Cholesterol
115 mg
38%

Fat
19.9 g
31%

Fiber
6.5 g
26%

Protein
33.5 g
67%

Sodium
951 mg
38%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Eggplant-Ziti Parmesan

Serving Size: 1/8 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 570
Calories from Fat: 179

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 19.9g 31 %
Saturated Fat 10.8g 54 %
Cholesterol 115mg 38 %
Sodium 951mg 38 %
Potassium 709mg 20 %
Total Carbohydrates 63.5g 20 %
Dietary Fiber 6.5g 26 %
Protein 33.5g 67 %
Sugars 12.1g
Vitamin A 20 %
Vitamin C 6 %
Calcium 89 %
Iron 33 %
** Thiamin 12 %
Niacin 113 %
Vitamin B6 23 %
Magnesium 30 %
Folate 100 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.