Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant parmesan never tasted so good as it did yesterday when I made it with this recipe. Yum!

Eggplant Parmesan
adapted from Martha Stewart

1 large egg
1 cup plain dry breadcrumbs (make your own by toasting stale homemade bread and then putting it in a food processor)
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus 2 tablespoons for topping
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 large eggplants (2 1/2 pounds total), peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
4 cups tomato sauce
8 oz. thinly sliced or shredded fresh mozzarella

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush 1 or 2 baking sheets with olive oil; set aside. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together egg and 1 tablespoons water. In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup Parmesan, oregano, and basil; season with salt and pepper.

Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating well; place on baking sheets. Bake until golden brown on bottom, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn slices; continue baking until browned on other side, 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove from oven; raise oven heat to 400 degrees.

Spread 1 cup sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Depending on how much eggplant you have, arrange the eggplant all in the bottom of the dish OR only use half the eggplant. Cover the eggplant layer with sauce and mozzarella. If using two layers of eggplant, place the other layer of eggplant on top, and top with more sauce and mozzarella. Sprinkle the top with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.