I love Mario Batali’s recipes. If you follow them and use good ingredients, they turn out perfect every time. Last night I made his Eggplant Parmigiana. The recipe takes a while to make if you also make his basic tomato sauce, which I always do, and it is worth it. I have the recipes copied from the Food Network website below, but I highly recommend his book, Molto Italiano.
This basic tomato sauce is glorious. You can’t go wrong using this as a base for lots of recipes. It’s simple and tasty. Mario’s sauces are now sold it in stores, but this is easy to make and ends up costing less in the long run. There is reason not to do it yourself, unless you are short of time.
Ingredients: 
Basic tomato sauce:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, 1/4-inch dice
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried (I always use fresh)
1/2 medium carrot, finely grated
2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved
Salt
Tomato Sauce:
In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft. Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until as thick as hot cereal. Season with salt and serve. This sauce holds 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer. Yield: 4 cups
Eggplant Parmigiana
Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 35 min
Level: Intermediate
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling the baking sheet
2 large eggplant, about 2 pounds
Salt and pepper
2 cups basic tomato sauce, recipe follows
1 bunch fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/8-inch thick
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs, lightly toasted under broiler (I leave this out, but you can make your own GF breadcrumbs)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Using some extra-virgin olive oil, oil a baking sheet.
Slice each eggplant into 6 pieces about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. Lightly season each disk with salt and pepper and place on the oiled sheet. Bake the eggplant at 450 degrees F until the slices begin turning deep brown on top, about 12-15 minutes. Remove the eggplants from the oven. Remove the slices from the baking sheet and place them on a plate to cool.
Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F. In an 8 by 12-inch brownie pan, place the 4 largest eggplant slice evenly spaced apart. Over each slice, spread 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and sprinkle with a teaspoon of basil. Place one slice of mozzarella over each and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon grated Parmigiano. Place the smaller slices of eggplant over each of the disks and repeat with tomato sauce, basil, and the 2 cheeses. Repeat the layering again until all the ingredients are used. 
Sprinkle the toasted bread crumbs (or not) over the top of the eggplant dish, and bake uncovered until the cheese melts and the tops turn light brown, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Recipes courtesy Mario Batali
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