Baked Eggplant with Meat Sauce

This came about as an attempt to use a handful of things that were waiting in my fridge. It was sort of a fusion of other recipes--not really eggplant parmesan, but not too far off, either.

-1 eggplant, sliced into ~1/2 inch rounds
-1 egg, beaten
-1/3 c. panko breadcrumbs
-salt & pepper

1. Mix the breadcrumbs with salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dip the eggplant slices into the egg, and, then coat each slice with breadcrumbs.
2. Place the slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 450* for 10-12 minutes until the slices are soft and easily pierced.

-2 T. olive oil
-1/4 t. red pepper flakes
-2 small onions, roughly chopped
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-3/4 lb. ground meat (beef, lamb, etc.)
-1 c. tomato sauce
-2 sprigs fresh oregano
-fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
-salt and pepper
-parmesan cheese, grated
-mozzarella cheese, cubed (~1 oz.)

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and pepper flakes and saute for several minutes. Add the garlic and ground meat and stir until cooked thoroughly.
2. Add the tomato sauce, fresh oregano, salt and pepper, and simmer for several minutes.
3. Layer the meat sauce and the eggplant in a dish. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and garnish with basil, parmesan, and mozzarella.

This was very good. It would have served 3 pretty easily, so I was eating it for a while (not that that's a bad thing...). It seemed a lot lighter than regular eggplant parmesan, and the panko added a unique element, but all the expected flavors were still there. And even though there were quite a few steps, it all came together surprisingly quickly.