BAKED EGGPLANT PARMESAN
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 medium eggplants or 1 large, sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds
- salt
- 3/4 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- 3/4 cups Italian bread crumbs
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning, homemade or store-bought
- 2 eggs (or 1 egg + 2 egg whites)
- cooking spray (or olive oil in a Misto)
- 1 (25 ounce) jar Marinara Sauce (my favorites are: Rao’s, Mezzeta, and Dave’s Gourmet)
- 2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese (I used part-skim)
- 2/3 cup finely-grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup loosely-packed chopped or julienned fresh basil
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
In a shallow bowl, whisk together Panko breadcrumbs and Italian breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning and 1 teaspoon salt until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth. Dip an eggplant round on both sides in the whisked egg mixture, then immediately dip it in the breadcrumb mixture until the eggplant is completely coated, then set on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant rounds until they are all evenly spaced on the baking sheets. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the breadcrumbs are toasted and slightly golden. Remove from the oven.
Spoon some tomato sauce evenly over the eggplant. Then sprinkle with 1 cup Mozzarella cheese evenly over the sauce, followed by 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, followed by 1/4 cup of the fresh basil.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and starts to turn slightly golden around the edges, and the sauce is bubbly. Remove and sprinkle with the remaining basil. Serve immediately.