Eggplant Lasagna Parmigiana

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1
  Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Wash the eggplants and cut them into approximately half-centimeter thick slices. Brush both sides with olive oil, season with pepper, and sprinkle with dried oregano. Arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 40 minutes. Flip the eggplant slices halfway through. Season with salt after baking.
• 2
  Finely chop the onion and slice the garlic. Sauté the onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until golden, then add the garlic. Sauté together for 2 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the wine and let it simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, until the excess liquid evaporates. Finally, stir in a handful of chopped basil.
• 3
  Meanwhile, prepare the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan and sprinkle in the flour. Sauté the flour for one minute, stirring constantly. Then pour in the milk and stir until all lumps are gone. Add the bay leaves, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the béchamel has a pudding-like consistency. Then remove the bay leaves, stir in 2/3 of the Parmesan, and a handful of chopped basil. Save a few leaves for garnish.
• 4
  Now all parts are ready, and we can layer them. Arrange 1/3 of the eggplant slices in a 20x30 cm baking dish, then spread 1/3 of the tomato mixture over them. On top of the tomato mixture, arrange a single layer of lasagna sheets, which you then spread with 1/3 of the béchamel sauce. Repeat this process 2 more times. Sprinkle the last layer of béchamel with the remaining Parmesan and top with sliced mozzarella. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes in the oven. Halfway through baking, remove the foil and let the cheese bake until crispy. After baking, garnish with basil leaves.