Eggplant Parmigiana

An Italian staple -- so good, so filling, and when done the way I make it, a lot less fattening than it usually is :) (Don't get me wrong - it's still not a diet food, but there are far fewer calories than usual and you won't ever miss them!) The quantities below will feed 8 and probably still provide left-overs and like all Italian food, it always tastes better heated up the next day!!!

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants
2 cups of Italian seasoned bread crumbs to which you add 1/2 cup grated parmigiana cheese (doesn't have to be the high quality stuff for this recipe)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1.5 pounds of mozzarella cheese, either grated or ground up small in a food processor
Sauce (either marinara if you want it to be vegetarian, or the sauce made with meatballs and sausages if you want a richer flavor -- serve the meet on the side!)
No-stick cooking spray

Slice the eggplant into circles about 1/8 inch thick. (You don't have the peel it, though you can if you like -- and forget everything you've ever heard about salting eggplant -- totally unneccessary).

Mix together the eggs and milk and dip the eggplant in that, and then cover it with breadcrumbs.

Lay them on a baking sheet that you've sprayed liberally with the no-stick cooking spray, and spray the tops of the eggplant when you're done as well.

Bake these in a 425 degree oven until they just start to brown.

Line a large baking dish with 2 ladles of sauce. Then cover with a layer of cooked eggplant, 1/4 of the cheese, and then a thin layer of sauce (about 1 ladle). Repeat this process twice, and cover the top with a generous layer of sauce and the remainder of the cheese.

Cover loosely with foil (put in a few toothpicks if you need to make sure the foil doesn't stick to the cheese) andbake in a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes if you're putting it in at room temp or higher. If it's in the fridge( and this can be assembled days in advance), put it in for about an hour. It's done when the edges are bubbling and you can't stick your finger into the middle for more than a split second without recoiling. Remove the foil for the last 10-15 minutes so it gets slightly browned on top.

Let it sit for about 5 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy!