Zucchini and Eggplant Parmigiana: Time Consuming, But Can Be Nutritious

I had a massive zucchini Will received from a coworker. I baked 43 muffins and two large loaves of bread with it, and still had zucchini to spare. I realized I bought an extra eggplant at the grocery store and decided to make Parmigiana since I had the oven running. This recipe has a bad reputation of being one of the worst recipes for you, but with a few tricks it can be made less bad.
For one, there is the sauce. Most tomato sauces have a handful of spices and are full of sugar. The way I sidestep this is by making my own tomato based Italian sauce. Will's great grandfather hailed from a small town near Florence, and brought the recipe to the US when he immigrated, so every year we make a big vat of it for spaghetti sauce, Parmigiana, or meatball subs. It's basically a Bolognese sauce without all the meat. By sweating mire poix vegetables, you impart a sweetness and add extra vitamins. Also, mushrooms in the sauce add extra texture to the sauce itself and to any dish that includes the sauce, plus if you use mushrooms that have added Vitamin D, you are again getting a pleasant addition of nutrients.
For another, you don't have to bread eggplant or zucchini as heavily as you do a chicken unless you plan on deep frying it. Just enough to create a barrier so the eggplant doesn't absorb too much oil and get greasy while frying is plenty.
Finally, be judicious with your cheese. Try to use a part-skim mozzarella, and don't go crazy with the Parmesan.
Now that we have the tips to slim it down, let's go on with the recipe. First, spice your breadcrumbs; I use lots of basil and Italian seasoning in my recipe and I prefer panko to fine breadcrumbs because it takes less of them to coat the food. Don't bother with salt; in Italian food, the cheeses and sauce do the talking, so the crumbs and vegetables don't need it. Then mix eggs and milk together. Dip your eggplant and/or zucchini into the crumbs first; don't worry about giving them a thorough coating because you are just going to dip it in the egg wash. Then dip it in the egg wash, let the excesses drip off the vegetable, and put it back in the crumbs. Again, you don't have to coat all sides, just the flat parts need to be coated, and even they only need a light coating. Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet on medium-low; if you go any higher, you risk smoking the oil and burning the vegetables. Add the vegetables and cook until the crumbs are golden brown on both sides. Continue until all your vegetables are fried. Finally, it's time to layer. First get a nice deep casserole dish; if you go too shallow, your sauce will end up dripping out and onto the bottom of your oven. Layer one layer of vegetable, spoon generous spoonfuls of sauce over each slice, and put one slice of mozzarella onto each sauced vegetable. Sprinkle a little bit of Parmesan over the top, and repeat until all vegetables have been used. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted.
Will and I both loved it; Will had one and a half helpings, and had to fight the urge to go back for thirds. Also, to help keep your weight down, leave two servings in the fridge for lunches and freeze the rest, like we do. Your waistline will thank you for it.