Best Eggplant Parmesan

4 small eggplants (about 2 1/2" in diameter) or 3 regular eggplants
Coarse salt
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
1 cup of your favorite tomato sauce*
4 oz. part skim mozzarella
Small handful of basil leaves, roughly torn

Slice the eggplants into about 1/3" discs. Sprinkle slices with a small pinch of coarse salt on each side and place in a single layer between two clean kitchen towels. Place a cookie sheet on top and weigh down with something heavy (a few cans of beans or tomatoes will do). Let the eggplant sit for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Lightly dredge the eggplant slices in the flour. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. When heated, add the eggplant slices in a single layer, turn the heat to medium-high and cook for about one and a half minutes on each side or until dark golden brown. Drain the eggplant on paper towels and repeat in batches until all of your eggplant is cooked, adding more oil as necessary.

In a 13" x 9" baking dish, arrange as many slices of eggplant as can fit snugly in a single layer. Top each slice with a small spoonful of tomato sauce and a dusting of basil. Continue the layers, evenly distributing all the ingredients, until everything is used up.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cheese is melting and bubbling.

* I used a homemade tomato sauce. The recipe can be found here http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=704194

Number of Servings: 4

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user BUN3KIN.