Pan-Fried Eggplant Cutlets (Milanese Style)

May 10, 2025
Vegetarian
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Pan-Fried Eggplant Cutlets (Milanese Style)

If you don’t like eggplant, this pan-fried eggplant cutlet recipe may just change your mind . Growing up, eggplant Milanese style was one of those meals that made a regular weeknight feel special—crispy, golden slices of eggplant, lightly fried and served with just a squeeze of lemon or a pile of peppery arugula. It’s a typical kind of Italian recipe, that proves you don’t need a long list of ingredients to make something really satisfying. Whether you serve it as a main course with a fresh salad or as a starter with warm marinara, this classic Italian dish is always a crowd-pleaser.

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Things to know about this Pan-Fried Eggplant Cutlets (Milanese Style) recipe

Sweating the Eggplant Matters: Salting the eggplant slices before cooking draws out excess moisture and bitterness, which helps them fry up beautifully crisp—not soggy.
Breadcrumb Choice Makes a Difference: Traditional Italian-style breadcrumbs give that classic flavor, but using panko will make the crust extra light and crunchy. You can also mix the two for the best of both worlds.
Don’t Skip the Cheese: Mixing grated Parmigiano-Reggiano into the breadcrumbs adds deep savory flavor and helps the coating brown nicely.
Shallow Frying Is Key: You don’t need a deep fryer—just a thin layer of olive oil in a skillet does the trick. Fry in batches and don’t overcrowd the pan to keep everything crisp.
Make It a Meal or a Starter: Serve it with a lemony arugula salad for a light main, layer it on ciabatta with mozzarella for an incredible sandwich, or top it with marinara and melted cheese for a quick eggplant parmesan twist.
lastly if you like eggplant as much as I do try my other eggplant recipes. Italian baked stuffed eggplant or vegetarian stuffed eggplant rollatini. And eggplant is delicious with pasta try this Sicilian eggplant caponata rigatoni

Ingredients

- 2 medium eggplants
- Kosher salt (for sweating the eggplant)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ cups breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 Tbsp. chopped Italian parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups Olive oil canola blend (for frying)

Instructions

Prepare the eggplant:
- Peel the eggplant in strips. then slice lengthwise into thin 1/3 -inch thick slices
- Set a colander over a bowl. Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant with kosher salt. Let sit in the colander, weighted down, for at least 30 minutes to draw out bitterness and excess moisture. Rinse and pat dry thoroughly.
Set up breading stations:
- In a shallow dish add the eggs and wisk slightly .
- In a second bowl, mix breadcrumbs, Parmigiano, garlic powder, oregano, and parsley
Bread the eggplant:
- Dip each eggplant slice first into the beaten eggs, and then in the breadcrumb mixture. Press gently to help crumbs adhere.
Fry:
- Heat the olive oil canola blend in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Fry eggplant slices in batches, about 3–4 minutes per side until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in a low oven if needed.
Serve:
- Plate with lemony arugula salad and extra shaved Parmigiano, or spoon warm marinara on the side or over top. and a drizzle of good olive oil . ENJOY!!!!