Eggplant Parmesan

I hate eggplant. The only exception is this dish. The first time I had eggplant was a couple years ago at a friends house. I was in love! It doesn't taste super eggplant-y, which I love and it's really hearty so it's great when you have a big crowd. I only make this twice a year, just because it takes a little time and patience, but soo worth it! I've tried alot of different variations, I have fried the eggplant, which is messy, really time consuming and obviously really unhealthy. Then I thought why don't I bake the eggplant instead of frying it, and it worked perfectly! I usually serve it with a side of spaghetti or some kind of pasta, and it's fantastic!

Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants, peeled and cut into 1/4 in slices.
- 4 cups of your favorite pasta sauce
- 4 cup Italian blend cheese
- 2 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 cup chickpea flour mixed with 1 cup water
- 1 TSP dried oregano
- 1 TSP crushed red pepper
- 1 TSP salt plus salt for sprinkling.
- 3 TBSP fresh basil chopped
- 2 TBSP fresh Italian parsley chopped
- non stick spray

Directions
- Place eggplant slices on baking tray, making sure that they're not overlapping. Lightly sprinkle salt over eggplant slices, flip slices over and lightly sprinkle salt on that side also. Wait 20-30 minutes. (After 30 minutes you'll notice that the salt draws some of the bitter liquid from the eggplant)
- Rinse Eggplant slices thoroughly and drain in a colander.
- Preheat oven to 375
- Mix chickpea flour and water thoroughly, making sure there are no lumps. Pour through a sieve if necessary. Batter should have a buttermilk/thick milk consistency. Pour in a bowl and set aside.
- Mix breadcrumbs, TSP salt, oregano, crushed red pepper and set in a bowl.
- Dip eggplant slice in chickpea flour mixture then directly into the breadcrumb mixture. Make sure eggplant slice is thoroughly covered with breadcrumbs, set on baking tray that has been sprayed with non stick. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices.
- Place breaded eggplant slices in oven for about 25-30 minutes. After 15 minutes of baking, flip slices so they brown evenly.
- Cool the cooked slices for a few minutes.
- Pour one cup pasta sauce on the bottom of a casserole/lasagna dish.Then layer the eggplant slices, top with another cup of sauce and top with a cup of cheese and one TBSP fresh basil. Repeat layers (Top layer should have 2 cup cheese). You should have about 3 layers. Sprinkle fresh chopped parsely ontop.
- Bake in the oven at 350 for about 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is hot and bubbly ontop and corners are browning slightly. Cool about 5 minutes before serving.