Eggplant Parmesan with Fresh Basil and Smoked Mozzarella
A gourmet version of the Italian-inspired favorite dish has plenty of fresh basil, smoked mozzarella cheese, and rich marinara sauce covering delicious fried eggplant slices.
Preparation Time
20 mins
Cooking Time
40 mins
Total Time
60 mins
Calories
460 Calories
Recipe Instructions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish.
Step 2
Line a plate with a paper towel; place a layer of 2 or 3 slices of eggplant onto the towel. Sprinkle eggplant with sea salt. Repeat layers of eggplant sprinkled with salt until all eggplant slices are stacked. Place 2 paper towels onto the stack and place a plate on top of the towels. Lay a heavy book or can of food onto the plate to squeeze out moisture. Allow to drip for 20 minutes to 2 hours. Rinse and pat dry.
Step 3
Beat eggs with milk in a shallow bowl. Place bread crumbs into a separate bowl. Dip eggplant slices in the egg mixture and gently press into the crumbs to coat; set aside.
Step 4
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; fry eggplant slices in the hot oil in small batches until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
Step 5
Pour about 1/4 cup of marinara sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish and arrange a layer of eggplant slices to cover the sauce. Scatter basil and a few slices of smoked mozzarella cheese over eggplant; repeat layers, ending with a layer of sauce on top. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.
Step 6
Bake in the preheated oven until heated through and the cheese has melted, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
Ingredients
2 eggs
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs, or more as needed
1 bunch fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1 large unpeeled purple eggplant, trimmed and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, or as needed
1 (24 ounce) jar prepared marinara sauce (such as De Cecco®)
1 (8 ounce) package smoked mozzarella cheese, very thinly sliced
