Martha Stewart's Unique Trick To Literally Elevate Eggplant Parmesan

Martha Stewart's eggplant Parmesan is stacked and that's a fact. When the O.G. of making things look good creates this dish where eggplant is the star ingredient, she doesn't skimp. In an Instagram post, Stewart shared that when she makes her simple, no-fry eggplant Parm, she assembles those rounds of sliced-up eggplant into "towers" made of layers of eggplant.

Detailing her plan for even more elevation, the cookbook author says she piles "mozzarella, Parmesan, thick tomato sauce, fresh basil leaves, and salt and pepper" on top of each slice before stacking them three to four slices high. She then tops her towers off with fresh bread crumbs and bakes before chowing down on these architectural, culinary creations.

The result of Stewart's technique is mounds of crispy eggplant and ooey-gooey melted cheese. It's okay if your mouth is watering because Stewart's take on this favorite dish sounds delish. And luckily, her trick can be used with your own recipe.

Before constructing her eggplant Parmesan towers, Stewart cuts up two eggplants, sprinkles them with a little salt, and lets them sit in a bowl in the fridge overnight. This is to help draw out the moisture in this mislabeled veggie that is technically a fruit. Salting the eggplant and exercising a little patience is a crucial step because no one wants to eat mushy eggplant. When Stewart is ready to make her eggplant Parmesan, she brushes the slices with olive oil and roasts them in the oven.

If you like Stewart's nontraditional eggplant stacking concept but are set on your own recipe, you can adapt a classic version of eggplant Parm where you bread and fry the eggplant to make this trick work. You can also use this elevating technique for a zucchini Parmesan, simply substitute zucchini for eggplant. You can even get creative and try it with a chicken Parm, using smaller, flattened pieces of chicken.