Place the eggplant slices in a colander and salt liberally on both sides of the slices. Let sit over a plate or in the sink for 30 minutes.

While the eggplant is sitting, prepare the sauce. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper and Italian seasoning and cook for 2 minutes. Add the un-drained cans of tomatoes and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes. Set aside until ready to assemble the stacks.

Rinse the eggplant slices after 30 minutes of sitting in the colander. Pat dry.

Place the flour on a dinner plate. Beat the eggs together well in a shallow dish. Combine the panko style bread crumbs with the Parmesan cheese and place in a dinner plate. Line up the dishes starting with the flour, then the eggs and finally the bread crumb mixture. Place a wire cooling rack next to the bread crumb mixture.

Take each eggplant slice and coat first in the flour then dip into the egg mixture and finally coat with the bread crumb mixture, patting the mixture well onto the eggplant slices. Place the coated eggplant slices on the cooling rack. Repeat until all the eggplant slices are coated.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add in enough olive oil to coat the bottom – about 3 tablespoons. Once the oil is hot, fry the eggplant in batches for 3 – 4 minutes on each side (until golden brown). Place the fried eggplant slices back on the cooling rack and repeat until all the eggplant has been fried.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Build the stacks on the cooling rack – divide the tomato sauce evenly on top of 6 of the eggplants. Top each with a slice of mozzarella cheese, two basil leaves and another slice of eggplant. (Can be made ahead at this point and refrigerated. If making ahead, take out of the fridge and let sit for 10 minutes before the final cooking.) Place the cooling rack on a baking sheet and cook for 5 minutes in the preheated oven or until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.