Eggplant Parmigiana (Baked)

By zircon50

Ingredients

• 3 medium eggplants, (about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds total)
• 1 tablespoon sea salt, or kosher salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, for dredging
• 2 cups plain breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil, or as needed, to coat baking sheet pans
• Tomato sauce
• 2 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese or imported Fontina cheese, cut into slices 1/3-inch thick
• 12 fresh basil leaves

Preparation

Step 1

Trim the stems and ends from the eggplants. Remove strips of peel about 1-inch wide from the eggplants, leaving about half the peel intact. Cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices and place them in a colander. Sprinkle with the coarse salt and let drain for 2 hours. Rinse the eggplant under cool running water, drain thoroughly and pat dry.

Whisk the eggs, salt and pepper together in a 13" x 9" baking dish. Mix the flour and breadcrumbs together in a similar sized baking dish.

Dip the eggplant into the egg mixture coating both sides. Then dip the egg-coated eggplant into the flour and breadcrumb mixture, turning well to coat both sides evenly.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread olive oil on a baking sheet and place eggplant slices on it in a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip eggplant slices over and bake for another 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the tomato sauce to simmering, if necessary, in a small saucepan over medium heat. Ladle enough sauce into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish to cover the bottom.

Sprinkle with an even layer of grated cheese and top with a layer of fried eggplant, pressing it down gently. Tear a few leaves of basil over the eggplant and ladle about 3/4 cup of the sauce to coat the top evenly.

Sprinkle an even layer of grated cheese over the sauce and top with a layer of mozzarella or Fontina, using about one-third of the cheese.

Repeat the layering as described above two more times, ending with a top layer of cheese that leaves a border of about one inch around the edges of the baking dish.

Drizzle sauce around the border of the baking dish and sprinkle the top layer with the remaining grated cheese. Finish with a few decorative streaks or rounds of tomato sauce.

Bake for 30 minutes, after covering the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil, and poking several holes in the foil with the tip of a knife.