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

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 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
• ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed
• 1 (24 ounce) jar prepared marinara sauce (such as De Cecco®)
• 1 (8 ounce) package smoked mozzarella cheese, very thinly sliced

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.