Light and Tender Eggplant Parm

This is my take on traditional eggplant parm.  Much lighter and healthier than the breaded and fried version, this cooks down to be incredibly soft and tender, and melts into your mouth.  I like to prepare and freeze several of these at the end of the Summer when eggplant is abundant, so I can enjoy the taste of summer in the cold of winter.

Ingredients:

2-3 large eggplants

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or fresh mozz pulled into fine strings)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 quarts San Marzano/Roma tomatoes, or 2-3 cups prepared tomato sauce

Optional (but recommended):  1 cup Fleurish everything herb oil or prepared pesto

kosher salt

Steps:

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

2) Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and a heavy sprinkling of kosher salt.

3) Remove tops of eggplant and some of the skin.  Slice into sections approximately 1cm thick.  Lay eggplant on salted baking sheet.  Sprinkle more salt on top of eggplant.  Allow to sweat for about 15 minutes.

4) If making fresh crushed tomatoes, put tomatoes in a lidded pot.  Cover and allow to simmer until soft, about 20 minutes.  Crush into a chunky sauce.

4) Roast eggplant until soft and slightly golden, about 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to handle.

5) Cover the bottom of a glass baking dish with a think layer of sauce.  Layer roasted eggplant on top, slather with herb oil or pesto, sprinkle with mozzarella and top with another layer of tomato sauce.  Repeat until you run out of eggplant.

6) Top the final layer with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. 

7) Bake at 350 about 30 minutes, until tomato sauce is bubbly and parmesan is browned.  Allow to cool a bit before serving. OR cover firmly with aluminum foil and then plastic wrap.  Freeze.  To serve, bake covered with foil for about 45 minutes.  Remove foil and continue to bake until bubble.