Eggplant Parmesan

This is a dish I've made several times and have been fine tuning. Its soooo satisfying and comforting! The rich marinara sauce, the melty mozzarella, the herbs, and the wonderful eggplant disguised beneath it all!!
The eggplant "cutlets" in this dish can either be baked or fried. Baking is obviously healthier and generally easier & cleaner to do at home.
I used 3 medium sized eggplants, and sliced them top to bottom, making larger pieces, rather than side to side. There was a little less work to do that way, considering there were fewer slices of eggplant.
Sometimes I buy breadcrumbs, this time I made them. There was 4 pieces of stale bread in the cupboard, which wasn't enough for the dish, so I used some crackers as well.

Breadcrumbs
stale bread or crackers, fresh or dry herbs (at least twice as much if its fresh) garlic powder, salt & pepper
If the bread is good & hard just throw it into the food processor (FP). If it is still soft, toast it in the toaster or the oven. Grind it up in the FP, and set aside.
Chop up fresh herbs, or dry, whatever you have. We had fresh parsley, basil, chives, tarragon, oregano, and rosemary. (lucky me!) Grab a handful of the breadcrumbs and a handful of chopped herbs, and toss it into the FB with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Process until incorporated, then toss this mixture with the rest of the breadcrumbs


Sauce
3/4 jar prepared marinara sauce, 1/2 package cream cheese, 1c milk, 1T oil, 1 1/2T flour, fresh or dry herbs
There are lots of ways to make a sauce.. heres how I made this one. Its was inspired by a "pink" sauce I had at a restaurant the night before.
1. Start by making a roux. You can find instructions for this online. A roux is a thickening agent used for soups, sauces, gravies, stew.. Slowly whisk in the milk, until it becomes thick. Add the fresh herbs. Add the marinara sauce and continue to whisk. Once it becomes heated through, chop the cream cheese into chunks and stir it into the sauce. I left the sauce on low for a couple hours, to let it reduce & thicken, which intensifies the flavor.

Eggplant
3 medium eggplants, 2 eggs, 2c breadcrumbs, oil
Set the oven at 375. Most Eggplant recipes you read will recommend that after you slice it, to salt each side, and let it sit for 30 min. This will pull the bitter juices out of the eggplant and improve the flavor. I do this about 80% of the time. The bitterness varies, so taste it raw, and see how it is.
After 30min, rinse off each piece and pat it dry.
Start an assemble line. One bowl with the eggs whisked. One bowl with breadcrumbs. And a greased sheet tray. Dip the eggplant into the egg, cover it well with breadcrumb and set it on the tray.
Depending on how thick you cut the eggplant, cook 15-20 min on each side in the oven. Until soft.

Assembly
Eggplant Cutlets Sauce Shredded Mozzarella Grated Parmesan Fresh Herbs
Finally, in a metal or glass baking dish, start with a layer of sauce in the bottom. Set eggplant on top, then sprinkle cheese, then more sauce, more eggplant, cheese, sauce, and sprinkle with fresh herb on top. Should be 2 layers of eggplant with the sauce and cheese.. all over the place! Bake for about 20min, until the sauce begins to bubble, and ENJOY!!