Serve with a side of pasta for a complete meal.
Two Medium Sized Eggplants Peeled And Cut Into About 1/2 Inch Wide Circles
About 6 Cups Of Marinara Sauce
12 Ounces Of Shredded Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Three Tablespoons Of Grated Parmesan Cheese
Two Beaten Eggs
A Cup Of All Purpose Flour
A Cup Of Panko Bread Crumbs
About 3 Teaspoons Of Sea Salt, Divided
About One Teaspoon Of Ground Black Pepper, Divided
About A Cup Of Olive Oil
SET UP A BREADING STATION
In a shallow baking dish, mix the beaten eggs with two tablespoons of water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Put the flour on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Put the bread crumbs on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
FRYING
Heat about a 1/4 inch of olive oil in a 12-14 inch non-stick skillet on medium high heat. Note: you will know that the olive oil is hot enough to fry in when you see ripples in the olive oil and it smokes slightly.
Dip the eggplant slices one at a time into the flour. Lightly coat each slice. Secondly, dip the eggplant slices one at a time into the egg mixture. Thirdly, put the eggplant slices into the bread crumbs. Dredge the eggplant slices in the bread crumbs coating them evenly on all sides. Fry the eggplant slices in batches in the hot olive oil, turning once, until they are golden brown. Note: do not fry more than five eggplant slices simultaneously as this will lower the temperature of the olive oil. Transfer the cooked eggplant slices with a fish spatula to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Sprinkle the fried eggplant slices with salt and pepper while hot. Note: more olive oil will need to be added to the skillet (in between batches) during the cooking process because the eggplant will absorb some of the oil.
ASSEMBLY
Coat the bottom of a casserole dish evenly with two cups of the marinara sauce. Arrange half of the fried eggplant slices on top of the sauce in a single layer. Add two teaspoons of the marinara sauce to each slice and smooth it out with a spoon. Add the shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the eggplant giving each slice an equal amount. Add the rest of the fried eggplant slices on top of the cheese layer. Add the rest of the marinara sauce to the second layer of eggplant spreading the sauce evenly to coat each slice. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top of the sauce. Note: you can add more mozzarella or Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Cover the casserole with aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degress for one hour.
