Slice the eggplant ¼ inch thick width wise into rounds or length wise into long pieces. I got rid of the edge pieces that had all skin.
Coat the pieces in the salt and put in a colander so the salt can draw out the water. This helps keep the eggplant from getting mushy. Allow to sit for at least 20 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients. But ideal is up to an hour. I sometimes do this the day before.
Meanwhile, put the breadcrumbs, Parmesan and oregano in a shallow bowl and mix well to combine.
Put the flour and milk in two separate shallow bowls.
Make sure the marinara and alfredo are ready to layer when needed.
Wipe the water and salt from the eggplant pieces until dry and set aside.
One by one, dip each eggplant piece in the flour, then milk, then breadcrumb mixture. Do as many as you can fit in a large frying pan.
Coat the frying pan with oil or if non stick no oil is needed. Pan fry the eggplant over medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Continue until all eggplant is done. It took me three rounds, but while they were cooking I coated the next set of pieces so in total it only took about 20 minutes.
When done, layer in a square baking dish as follows:
1 cup marinara
½ of the eggplant pieces
½ cup Alfredo (and the cheese if using)
1 cup marinara
the other half of the eggplant
1 cup marinara
½ cup Alfredo (and the cheese if using)
Bake
Bake for 30 minutes until bubbling. Remove and let cool a bit.
Top with sliced basil if you choose and serve!
Notes
The salt is used to draw our the moisture from the eggplant. It is wiped away so not included in the nutritional info. The Parmesan has plenty of salt in it as does marinara and Alfredo so extra is not needed.
Traditionally this recipe does not use breadcrumbs to coat the eggplant. I preferred the flavor and texture with them in so feel free to remove them and the milk, and simply grill the eggplant coated in flour. Then use the Parmesan in between layers when you build it.