Slice eggplant lengthwise (approximately 1/4 inch thick).

“Sweat” the sliced eggplant by first sprinkling it with salt, then placing on a baking sheet and standing the sheet at a slight angle, allowing the moisture that will “sweat” off the eggplant to run to the bottom. This process should take 30 minutes to an hour and will remove the bitterness from the eggplant. Start the sauce while you’re waiting.

In a high-speed blender, blend tomatoes until they have a consistent texture.

Add tomatoes to a pot on medium heat.

Add oregano, salt, and sugar. Mix well.

Allow the sauce to simmer to reduce the mixture, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°.

With a paper towel, pat sliced eggplant dry to remove salt. Cover each slice generously with flour.

In a shallow frying pan, bring oil to high temperature.

Place one eggplant slice at a time in the hot oil until eggplant turns dark brown, being careful not to burn. Once all slices have gone through this process, set aside on a paper towel–lined plate.

Cover the bottom of an oven-safe casserole dish or lasagna pan with sauce, about 1/4 of your yield. Next, create a layer of eggplant to cover the sauce, about 1/4 of your eggplant. Cut the eggplant to make it fit if you need to.

Add another 1/4 yield of sauce on top of the eggplant layer. Add a couple of fresh basil leaves and 1/4 of the grated mozzarella.

Repeat the layering process another 3 times. Finish with a layer of sauce and add grated Parmesan to generously cover the top.

Bake for 25–30 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Remove from oven and let rest about 10 minutes. Slice and Mangia!