Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients 

• 1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/2″ thick slices
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt, (DO NOT USE TABLE SALT)
• 1 ½ cup (180 g) Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup (118 ml) milk
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, for lightly pan-frying
• 3 cups (735 g) marinara sauce, homemade or store-bought
• 2 cups (224 g) whole milk mozzarella, shredded
• 1 cup (100 g) parmesan cheese, shredded
• Handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions 

1. Salt the top side of your eggplant slices and place them on a wire rack on a baking sheet. Let the liquid pull out for 45 minutes to 1 hour.1 large eggplant,2 tablespoons kosher salt
2. When your eggplant slices have finished draining liquid, brush off the excess salt with a damp paper towel, as you don’t want it to be too salty!
3. In 2 shallow plates, add breadcrumbs to one and whisk eggs and milk in the other. Dip both sides of eggplant slice into milk/egg mixture then cover with breadcrumbs, shaking off the excess. Place on plate or large baking sheet and repeat until all eggplant slices have been coated.1 1/2 cup (180 g) Italian seasoned breadcrumbs,2 eggs,1/2 cup (118 ml) milk
4. Preheat oven to 375 °F (191 °C)
5. Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil into the skillet. Once the skillet is hot, add two eggplant slices at a time to the skillet and cook on both sides until golden brown, remove and set on a large plate lined with paper towels. Repeat until you’ve pan-fried them all.4 tablespoons vegetable oil
6. In a large casserole dish, add 1 cup of marinara sauce to the bottom of the casserole dish. Add a layer of eggplant slices (I was only able to fit about 3 a layer) then using a 1/4 cup, dollop marinara sauce on top of the eggplant slices. The idea isn’t to smother the layers with sauce. On top of the eggplant slices, sprinkle a generous amount of mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Repeat the layers until you run out of eggplants slices. Top the casserole with more cheese before you place in the oven :)3 cups (735 g) marinara sauce,2 cups (224 g) whole milk mozzarella,1 cup (100 g) parmesan cheese
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and brown on top. I used the broiler for 5 minutes to get the cheese nice and brown – you don’t have to, but if you do, watch it carefully!
8. Serve hot and top with chopped basil, if using.Handful of fresh basil leaves