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1
Preheat the oven to 350F.
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2
Lightly brush or spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with vegetable oil.
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3
Wash the eggplant, but do not peel it.
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4
Cut it crosswise in 1/4-inch-thick slices.
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5
In a shallow dish or pie plate, lightly beat the eggs.
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6
In another shallow dish or pie plate, combine the bread crumbs with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and stir with a fork until well combined.
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7
Working with one eggplant slice at a time, coat it on both sides with the egg and allow the excess to drip off.
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8
Place it in the bread crumbs, and coat on both sides.
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9
Transfer to a platter or baking sheet.
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10
Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
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11
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat until shimmery and hot but not smoking.
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12
Add as many slices of eggplant as can fit in a single layer; do not crowd the pan.
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13
Cook until golden brown and crisp on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
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14
Transfer the eggplant slices to the prepared baking sheet.
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15
Repeat with the remaining slices, adding more oil as needed.
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16
Meanwhile, pour the Bolognese in a small saucepan; if using jarred sauce, add a little water to the jar.
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17
Close the jar and shake it to loosen the sauce stuck to the sides of the jar.
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18
Add the water to the saucepan.
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19
Over medium heat bring the sauce just to boiling.
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20
Cover, set aside, and keep warm.
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21
Arrange half of the eggplant slices along the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
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22
Top the eggplant with half of the warm sauce.
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23
Arrange half of the mozzarella slices on top and sprinkle with half of the remaining Parmesan cheese.
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24
Arrange the remaining eggplant slices over the cheese.
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25
Cover with the remaining meat sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan.
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26
Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and slightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes.
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27
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
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28
For a pretty presentation, set aside half of the most uniformly sized eggplant slices for the top layer.
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29
Use the rest for the bottom layer that no one can see.
