Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 2 medium eggplants, sliced into ½” rounds
• 1-1/2 cups of Panko breadcrumbs (or use seasoned)
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (if using Panko or unseasoned breadcrumbs)
• 2 eggs (or 1 egg and 2 egg whites)
• Cooking spray
• 1 (25 ounce) jar of tomato sauce (I used Prego, tomato and basil)
• 2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese

**½ cup fresh chopped fresh basil

**2/3 cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Sprinkle each round of eggplant with a pinch of salt and place them in a colander in the sink to drain. Wait 30 minutes then rinse and pat them dry.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil and set aside.

In a shallow bowl, whisk together Panko crumbs, Italian seasoning and 1 teaspoon salt until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth.  Dip each eggplant round in egg mixture then into the breadcrumb mixture until it is completely coated.

Put eggplant on baking sheets until they are evenly spaced. Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through, until the breadcrumbs are toasted and slightly browned.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

Spread ½ cup tomato sauce evenly over an 11×8 inch baking dish. Spread an additional cup of tomato sauce evenly over the eggplant. Then sprinkle 1 cup of Mozzarella cheese evenly over the sauce. (If you are using Parmesan cheese, sprinkle 1/3 cup over the eggplant followed by the basil) Repeat with another layer of eggplant, then tomato sauce, then Mozzarella, then Parmesan.

Bake 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and starts to slightly turn golden around the edges and the sauce is bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the remaining basil.