We all love lasagna; that’s a fact. But let us tell you about Baked Eggplant Parmesan. It's is something you can make any time, it’s simple and delicious. It’s a nice light dish that goes well with salad and garlic bread. We won’t be frying the eggplants so that we will be saving our bodies from that extra grease. Instead, we are going to be baking them to get that crisp texture. Slice eggplant lengthwise.

To get less bitter eggplants, spray them with salt after slicing and let them sit for a couple of minutes. The eggplant will get moist, and you can clean the extra salt and bitterness with a napkin. You can use cold water to remove extra salt. Season eggplant with salt, pepper, and garlic powder; dip it in eggs and then the breadcrumbs mixture. Place your eggplants in the oven and let then cook. Now is time to assemble our lasagna. Pick a long, oven-safe casserole dish, the longer the better. Start with layering then marinara sauce, next eggplant, more marinara sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, basil, and then repeat. Bake your Eggplant Parmesan for 25 to 30 minutes, the cheese should start to melt and it should get golden and crisp around the edges. Take it out of the oven to avoid it from getting too dry. Add some extra parmesan and basil, serve and enjoy warm!

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper, and set aside.
2. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the Panko breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and fine sea salt and black pepper until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs with water. Dip an eggplant round in the egg mixture so that is evenly coated on all sides, then transfer to the breadcrumb mixture and coat on all sides, then place it on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Repeat with the remaining eggplant rounds until they are all coated and evenly spaced on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, until the eggplant is softened and mostly cooked through. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack and set aside.
5. Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce evenly across the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
6. Place half of the eggplant in an even-ish layer along the bottom of the dish, topped evenly with 1 cup marinara sauce, 1 cup Mozzarella, all of the Parmesan, and half of the basil, the remaining eggplant, remaining marinara sauce, and the remaining Mozzarella.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted and starts to turn slightly golden around the edges and the eggplant is cooked to your liking. 
8. Transfer pan to a wire cooling rack and sprinkle with the remaining basil and extra Parmesan. Serve warm, garnished with extra Parmesan.