Italian Tip #17: the secret to our eggplant parmigiana is the freshly sliced eggplant. Sure, you might fall in love with the rich, vine-ripened tomato sauce and the three cheeses, but it's the farm fresh, thinly sliced eggplant that's the real star. Each medallion is dipped in an egg wash, generously coated with Italian seasoned bread crumbs, and then lightly browned to perfection.