I LOVE Italian comfort food and this classic dish delivers!  I bake my eggplant for a little bit of a calorie saver as well as a time saver.  I also like this recipe because you can make it the day before or make it and freeze it for later use.

What You Will Need:
1 Med-Large Eggplant, skinned and sliced, I use my mandolin for this slicing job
32 oz Approx. of Marinara Sauce (either from a jar or homemade)
1 16oz Mozzarella (I use a package of Polly-O ONLY because I feel it has more flavor than fresh Mozzarella-I know it may be against my traditions haha)
1 cup of Breadcrumbs (I use the Italian style kind-this is also approximate and you made need more along the way)
2 eggs
Olive Oil (amount varies)
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional-amount varies)

First you are going to set up your breading station, crack the eggs into a bowl and beat, then put the breadcrumbs in a bowl and place next to the eggs.  Then get out a baking sheet and cover it with foil and place it next to the breadcrumb bowl.  So they are all in a line, step 1, step 2, step 3. first you dip a slice of eggplant into the egg wash and cover, then dip it in the breadcrumbs and cover, then place it on the baking sheet.  Repeat until all the eggplant slices are breaded, Note-you may need more than one foil covered baking sheet.

Drizzle olive oil on the eggplant and place them in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes, then flip them all over and drizzle olive oil to the other side, bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until golden and tender.  Remove and set aside to cool.
Side Bar-making this recipe and get a bit messy so I like to clean up the breading station while the eggplant is cooking so I don’t have a huge mess to deal with at the end.

while they are cooling you are going to set up your assembly station.  First you have your sauce then your mozzarella, then your baking dish.  Spoon and spread some sauce so it covers the bottom of the baking dish, then line it with some eggplant slices, then place some mozzarella slices on top of the eggplant, then spread another layer of sauce on stop of all that.  Repeat by then adding another layer of eggplant, then the mozzarella, then a layer of sauce until all the eggplant is used up.  If there is anymore sauce left then I usually pour the rest on top and if there is anymore mozzarella left place it on the top as well.

Afterwards I also like to layer the top with grated Parmesan cheese, it is called eggplant PARMESAN after all!

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until the cheese is all melted and bubbly.

Serve and enjoy!!! xoxoxo