Eggplant Caprese Stacks

Oven-baked eggplant rounds topped with vine ripened tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil, bathed in warmed tomato sauce.

Makes 4 stacks
Preparation time:  15 minutes
Cooking time:  30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups flour
• 2 eggs
• 1-2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 12 slices (1-2 each) eggplant, peeled and sliced into ½" thick rounds
• 8 slices (3-4 each) Roma tomatoes
• 8 slices (1 pound) fresh mozzarella
• 1 jar (16 ounces) Francesco Rinaldi To Be Healthy Tomato Basil Sauce
• 8 fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Create a breading station by having 3 shallow dishes, one with the flour, another with the beaten whole eggs and the last with the Panko breadcrumbs. Season the breadcrumbs with oregano, salt and pepper.
3. Bread each eggplant slice by first dipping in the flour (shake off any excess flour from the rounds) followed by dipping the eggplant in the eggs. The last step in the breading process is to coat the eggplant with the seasoned breadcrumbs.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.  Place the breaded eggplant rounds on the prepared baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400°F oven until the rounds are golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
5. Bring the Francesco Rinaldi To Be Healthy Tomato Basil Sauce to a simmer in a medium size sauce pan, and keep warm.  
6. Stack a slice of the cooked eggplant with a slice of tomato, fresh mozzarella and basil leaf. Repeat the layers and top with an eggplant slice.  Use a 6 inch wooden skewer to hold the layers together. 
7. Reduce the oven temperature to 275°F.  On the same baking sheet, place the assembled stacks in the oven and warm for 10 minutes.
8. To serve, pour a ½ cup pool of warm sauce onto the bottom of a plate, place the heated eggplant caprese stack on top of the pool of sauce.
9. Top each stack with a leaf of fresh basil and serve.

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