1 large eggplant (or two small), sliced thinly (about 1/4 inch slices)
5 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 cups Italian bread crumbs (add more to bowl if needed)
1 15-oz. can organic tomato sauce (you might also need an 8-oz. can if you like a lot of sauce)
8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese ball, sliced thinly (you can use more if desired)
salt and pepper
Lay the slices out on counter or cutting board and sprinkle salt and pepper on each side. In small bowl, beat eggs with milk. In another bowl, mix bread crumbs with 2 t salt. Preheat frying pan on medium high heat. Coat with olive oil (if the oil begins to smoke, the heat is too high). Take each slice of eggplant and pat dry with paper towel, dip into egg mixture, flip over so it’s soaked with egg, then drop into bread mixture, flip over, and add to pan. Do not coat too heavily. Pan fry 3-4 slices at a time until they are brown on one side, then flip and cook the other side. As each slice of eggplant is browned, remove from pan and set aside on paper towels or newspaper. Once all the eggplant is cooked, coat the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish with a thin layer of tomato sauce (just enough to cover bottom of dish). Add a layer of eggplant to bottom of baking dish. Add another thin layer of tomato sauce, then another layer of eggplant. Sprinkle a thin layer of cheese on top of second layer of eggplant, then add another layer of tomato sauce. Add one last layer of eggplant, then add another layer of tomato sauce followed by a layer of fresh mozzarella slices. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes. Serve with fresh baked bread and salad. Eggplant is one of those dishes that tastes better the second day, so make sure you make plenty! You can add chopped mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, spinach, and/or ground meat to each layer for variety.
A great alternative to eggplant is zucchini. In Colorado we joke that we don’t lock our old Subaru wagons to keep someone from stealing them; we lock them to keep our friends and neighbors (or even strangers!) from putting a bunch of zucchini in there! So if you have any of those giant “what the heck am I going to do with this?” zucchinis, or even if you have normal-sized zucchini but just more than you know what to do with, try making this recipe with zucchini instead of eggplant. If the eggplant is very large, it is best to cut all the seeds out and also to peel it. For smaller zucchini you might get away with leaving the seeds in and the skin on. You may have to experiment until you find the best solution for yourself.