Ingredients
- 2 medium Eggplant, cut ¼ inch rounds
- 2 tsp Cento Coarse Sicilian Sea Salt
- Cento Ground Black Pepper, to taste
- 2 jars Bellino Marinara Sauce (26 oz)
- 1 cup Cento Plain Bread Crumbs
- 1 cup Cento Panko Bread Crumbs
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1 cup Anna TIPO 00 Flour
- 3 large Egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup Cento Classico Olive Oil
- 1 lb Mozzarella Cheese, thinly sliced
- 10 oz Ricotta Cheese
- ¼ cup Fresh Basil Leaves
Directions
Lay out paper towels and arrange the slices of eggplant in a single layer. Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt. Roll up the towel tightly to extract any excess water and set aside. In a large bowl, mix both bread crumbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, salt and black pepper. In another bowl, add flour. In the last bowl, add beaten eggs. Coat each piece of eggplant in flour. Shake off any excess flour, then coat in eggs, letting any excess drip off. Finally, coat with bread crumbs. Set coated eggplant sliced on a separate dish and set aside. Preheat oven 400°F. In a large, deep pan, heat oil over medium high heat, until temperature reaches 350°F. Begin to fry eggplant in batches, until golden brown and tender, about 2-3 minutes, per side. On a paper towel lined baking sheet, place each piece of fried eggplant to drain any excess oil. In a large 9x13 baking dish, spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce. Place fried eggplant side by side until sauce is covered. Then top with 2 cups sauce. Then top each eggplant stack with mozzarella cheese, then add small dollop of ricotta. Repeat the same process until the final layer. Sprinkle each stack with Parmesan cheese. Cover dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook for additional 10 minutes, until cheese is golden. Let cool for 15 minutes. Top with fresh basil. Serves 8.
