Classic Eggplant Lasagna

by Mary Sacks

Have I lost my noodle? In this dish anyway. If you just can't do without, you can always sneak a few in the recipe. If eggplant isn't your forte See Article: Preparing Eggplant for Cooking for some eggplant insights.

Eggplant

Ingredients

2 eggplants sliced lengthwise (¼ inch thick)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper

Sauce

(If you are inclined. Otherwise, I do have my jar favorites and I'm sure you do also.)

Ingredients

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage or ground beef
½ large white onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
½ cup white wine
½ cup chopped fresh basil
1 tsp. ground oregano
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
¼ cup & 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley divided

Cheese

Ingredients

15 oz. ricotta cheese
1 large egg
½ tsp. salt
⅛ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 lb. deli sliced mozzarella cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets. Lay eggplant slices out onto prepared baking sheets into a single layer.
Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the preheated oven until tender, about 25 minutes, turning halfway through.
Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium heat, add in ground sausage or ground beef. Use a spoon to break up the meat into small pieces. Add in onion and garlic and cook until meat is well browned, stirring constantly.
(Continue to make your own sauce or add the above to a premade sauce.)
Stir in fresh basil, oregano, ½ teaspoon salt, pepper, and ¼ cup chopped parsley. Pour in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and wine. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours).
In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining 2 Tbsp. parsley, ½ tsp. salt, and nutmeg. Refrigerate until ready to assemble the lasagna.
Lightly grease a deep 9 x 13-inch pan. To assemble, spread about 1 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Place 6 eggplant slices on top to cover the bottom of the pan. Spread with ⅓ of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with ¼ of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1½ cups meat sauce over mozzarella, then sprinkle with ¼ cup parmesan cheese.
Repeat layering two more times to create three complete layers. To finish, place a final layer of eggplant, topped with another 1 cup of meat sauce to cover the eggplant. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Serve hot.

Food for Thought

If you can’t do without the lasagna noodles, be my guest. As the recipe stands, it is a low carb dish.
Keep in mind that the longer an eggplant hangs around the more bitter it becomes.
I’m a real fan of premade sauces and I will do anything to “doctor” them up. I’ll add meat as above, RC No Added MSG Roasted Southwestern Vegetable Seasoning Base or anything else to reach my goal of a sauce I like.
Keep in mind that when photographers take food pictures they always want it to look “pretty” and leave the skin on the eggplant. Don’t chance it, peel it.