Eggplant Parmesan

My mom gets her produce from this awesome farmers market in the not so great part of town, but the veggies are awesome! I've been dying to make my own eggplant parmesan ever since we had it at Joe's brother's rehearsal dinner. It was fun making it, and I felt somewhat healthy eating it!

You wil need:

One large eggplant

salt

egg white

bread crumbs

dried oregano

dried basil

olive oil

one jar of tomato sauce

shredded mozzarella

grated parmesan 

Preheat oven to 350. Slice the eggplant into very thin slices. Sprinkle each side of the slices with salt and place on a paper towel. Put another paper towel on top of a layer of slices and top with another layer of eggplant, repeat until out of eggplant slices. Top with a paper towel and place a heavy pot or pan on top. Let sit with pan on top for about 30 minutes to an hour. This is to absorb some of the moisture in the eggplant so the final version is not soggy.  

Once most of the moisture has been absorbed from the eggplant slices. Heat a pan of olive oil about an inch deep until hot. Dip each slice into a bowl of egg white, and then dip into a bowl containing bread crumbs, oregano, and basil. Coat both sides evenly with the mixture and place in the hot oil. Fry until golden brown. Place fried eggplant slices on a paper towel to absorb extra oil.

Layer in a  casserole dish starting with tomato sauce, followed by eggplant, and topped with mozzarella. Continue until out of eggplant. Top with mozzarella and grated parmesan. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes covered on 350. Remove cover and broil on high for about 5 or 10 minutes. 

**Serve with your choice of whole wheat pasta and a side salad.