Friday, July 5, 2013

A Twist on a Classic & Gluten Free: Eggplant Lasagna




Everyone likes lasagna; its so cheesy and delicious.  Eggplant parmesan is another Italian favorite.  Combine the two, and you have one amazing explosion of flavors.  This dish has all the traditional ingredients of lasagna, but thinly sliced eggplant is substituted for the noodles.  If you're having guests over for dinner who eat gluten free (or if you have to eat gluten free,) eggplant lasagna is a great alternative.



Ingredients:

  • 1 large eggplant
  • pasta sauce or meat sauce (I used this recipe; simply eliminate the meat if you would like to have meatless pasta sauce)
  • 16 ounces of ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  •  1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
  • 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Steps:

Peel the eggplant.

Slice the eggplant about 1/4" thick.

"Sweat" the eggplant slices by placing them in a single layer on a cutting board or cookie sheet.  Sprinkle the slices with a light sprinkle of sea salt. 







































Turn the slices over, and sprinkle the other side with sea salt.

Allow the eggplant to sweat for about 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, rinse the slices with water, and pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Brush a light layer of olive oil on a cookie sheet.  Place the sliced eggplant on the cookie sheet.

When the oven has preheated, roast the eggplant until golden-- about 30 minutes.



Allow the eggplant to cool enough so that you can handle it safely.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

While the eggplant is cooling, mix the ricotta cheese, egg,  parsley, and salt.

Cover the bottom of a 9X13 glass baking dish with sauce.

Top the sauce with the roasted eggplant slices.







































Top the slices with the ricotta cheese mixture.














Top with more sauce.  Sprinkle sauce with parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.

Repeat layers.








When the baking dish is filled, bake in preheated oven until cheese is bubbly.









That's all there is to it!  Super easy, and super delicious!

Serve with some warm, crusty bread, and you've got yourself one great meal.

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