Eggplant Parmesan

My thoughtful aunt gave me two beautiful eggplants and some cherry tomatoes. She gave me two eggplant Parmesan recipes and said she thought I could make some eggplant Parmesan with them. I decided to use the recipe she provided that came from a Martha Stewart cooking website. I can't take complete credit for this delicious meal since I did the first half and my mom did the second half. I am trying to show her how to cook meals from scratch and she was willing to try this on her own. She did a great job!

Ingredients:

• Olive oil, for baking sheets
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus 2 tablespoons for topping
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 large eggplants, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
• 6 cups (48 oz) chunky tomato sauce (I used my own homemade recipe here, minus the mushrooms)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

Directions:

1. If preparing homemade chunky tomato sauce, do this first.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush 2 baking sheets with oil; set aside. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons water. In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup Parmesan, oregano, and basil; season with salt and pepper.

3. Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating well; place on baking sheets. Bake until golden brown on bottom, 20  to 25 minutes. Turn slices; continue baking until browned on other side, 20 to 25 minutes more. Remove from oven, raise oven heat to 400 degrees.

4. Spread 2 cups sauce in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Arrange half the eggplant in dish; cover with 2 cups sauce, then 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat with remaining eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake until sauce and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.