Eggplant Lasagna with the Best Tomato Sauce Ever!
Eggplant is in season, and you are going to see an abundance of it in your grocery stores. I always prepare eggplant the same way, sauteed. Looking to jazz it up a bit, I decided to try making a lasagna/eggplant parmigiana fusion, where the eggplant acts as the noodle layers. While researching recipes for ideas, I also came across a tomato sauce that seemed easy enough. Simple ingredients and not too time consuming, I was impressed with the flavor right off the bat. The original recipe called for crushed tomatoes, but I chose to use stewed tomatoes and broke them up a bit. I like the rustic touch the tomato chunks give the sauce.
Usually I like to share recipes that move along fairly quickly, however this is an exception. It took time to build the dish, let alone bake it. In the end though, I felt the time was well worth it for something veggie packed, yet indulgent tasting.
Servings: 6 Time: 1 hr 30 min Calories: 444 per serving
Ingredients:
Tomato Sauce:
Steps:
1.) Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Peel and slice eggplant into 1/8 thick pieces. Toss with salt and place in a colander over a plate. Let stand for 30 minutes, rinse and drain. (Liquid will drain onto the plate)
2.) While eggplant is draining, get started on the sauce by sauteing the garlic and onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a sauce pan. Once tender, add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes.
4.) In a bowl, combine mozzarella and cottage cheese, set aside.
5.) Adding 2 tablespoons of oil to a large skillet, saute zucchini until tender and remove and set aside.
6.) Place eggs (Slightly beaten) and bread crumbs into two separate bowls. Dip eggplant in eggs, then in crumbs and fry in skillet for 2 -3 minutes on each side.
7.) Okay now we have all the components to start layering. Using a 10 x 10 baking dish, I layered a scoop of tomato sauce, then added a layer of eggplant. I smeared a layer of the cottage cheese mixture on top of the eggplant, and topped it with a layer of zucchini finished with another layer of sauce. One more layer of cottage cheese mixture, then a top layer of eggplant. The layer combination doesn't' have to be perfect, it may vary depending on the size of baking dish you use and how many slices you were able to get out of the vegetables. At the end, I topped with the remaining tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.
8.) Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes. Let cool and slice up for serving!
Usually I like to share recipes that move along fairly quickly, however this is an exception. It took time to build the dish, let alone bake it. In the end though, I felt the time was well worth it for something veggie packed, yet indulgent tasting.
Servings: 6 Time: 1 hr 30 min Calories: 444 per serving
Ingredients:
Tomato Sauce:
- 1/3 cup Onion, chopped
- 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon, Olive Oil
- 2 15 oz. cans of Stewed Tomatoes
- 1/4 cup Dry Red Wine or Vegetable Broth
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 2 teaspoons each of Dried Oregano and Dried Basil ( I used a tablespoon of Fresh Basil I had on hand)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
- 2 medium Eggplants, sliced1/8 inch thick. (obviously this is a guess-timate, you want them to be thick enough to act as a layer of noodles)
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 2 Eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup Dry Bread Crumbs
- 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
- 2 medium Zucchini, thinly sliced length wise
- 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded and divided
- 1 16 oz container of Cottage Cheese
Steps:
1.) Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Peel and slice eggplant into 1/8 thick pieces. Toss with salt and place in a colander over a plate. Let stand for 30 minutes, rinse and drain. (Liquid will drain onto the plate)
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| Draining the eggplant |
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| Best tomato sauce made in 20 minutes |
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| Egg wash and bread crumbs for eggplant |
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| Messy example of layering the veggies |
8.) Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes. Let cool and slice up for serving!
Looks yummy!
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