Italian eggplant parmesan is such a delicious and hearty dish that it's easy to forget that it has multiple layers of veggies. The crispy breaded eggplant slices, layered with tomato sauce and gooey, melted cheese make leftovers a rare commodity. While this is a satisfying dish to make, baking with this fruit can have some pitfalls and can lead to some mistakes you're probably making with eggplant parmesan .

But once you know how to handle this veggie when cooking, you'll be making eggplant parmesan like a pro. A common question is whether removing the eggplant skin is a good idea or not. The answer? It depends on your eggplant's size.

If your eggplant is on the larger side, this means it is an older vegetable and will have tougher skin and could leave you with some unappealing chewy bites in your eggplant parmesan. You'll want to either remove half the skin or peel these completely. Any smaller eggplants usually have thin and soft skin that doesn't need to be removed, and can even add some texture to your dish.

If you have the option, opt for small eggplants at the supermarket to make your hearty eggplant parmesan recipe even simpler. Other tips for the best eggplant parmesan While peeling or not peeling your eggplant may depend on its size, the rule of salting your eggplant before using it, applies to all eggplants. If you've skipped this step before then you may already know the consequence; soggy eggplant parmesan.

The vegetable layers in this casserole dish should be lig.