Eggplant Stackers

My boyfriend is always asking me to cook more eggplant, so when I stumbled across this recipe in Cooking Light Magazine I had to give it a shot. This recipe was originally created as open-faced eggplant sandwiches, however I opted to replace the country wheat bread with a nutrient packed bed of spinach. Let me tell you we didn't even miss the bread. Healthy and delicious, these stackers stacked up! They took just minutes to prepare and were great as a side dish and lunch the next day. Just be sure you don't walk away from the broiler while your cooking as the panko breadcrumbs brown up pretty quickly.  

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup lower-sodium marinara sauce
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1 medium eggplant, cut crosswise into 8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Cooking spray
• 4 (1-ounce) slices country wheat bread, toasted
• 12 large basil leaves
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. 2. Place marinara in a microwave-safe measuring cup. Microwave at HIGH for 2 minutes or until hot; keep warm.
3. 3. Place flour in a shallow dish. Place eggs in another dish. Place panko in another. Sprinkle eggplant evenly with salt. Dredge both sides of eggplant slices in flour; dip in egg, and dredge in panko. Place breaded eggplant slices on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil eggplant 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Transfer eggplant slices to a plate. Place bread slices on baking sheet; top each slice with 1 basil leaf. Place 1 eggplant slice over each leaf; top eggplant with 1 basil leaf and 1/2 ounce cheese. Top cheese with remaining slices of eggplant; finish with 1/2 ounce of cheese over each eggplant slice. Broil eggplant stacks 3 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. Spoon 2 tablespoons marinara over each serving. Top with remaining basil leaves.