Directions: |
Directions:Directions
1. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat 2 rimmed baking sheets with olive oil. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with oil and set aside.
2. Slice eggplant length wise in 1/2 thick pieces. It's OK to leave skin on. Salt both sides and let sweat out for about 30 minutes.
3. Pat dry and arrange sliced eggplant in a single layer on the 2 sheet pans—if some of your end-most eggplant slices are very curved, trim off the eggplant outermost curvy portion so that the slices lay mostly flat. Brush lightly with olive oil over both sides of all of the slices. Lightly salt and pepper the slices.
4. Roast the eggplant until it is soft and golden, about 35-45 minutes, flipping the slices over and swapping the pans’ positions once halfway through. Remove the slices from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 351.35 degrees F.
4. Meanwhile, in a skillet add a bit of olive oil and sauté the sliced mushrooms for about 5 minutes until soft and starting to dry out. Add the minced garlic, a little kosher salt, and oregano. Cook for another 2 minutes until garlic is translucent over medium heat. Set aside.
5. Fry 8oz ground beef with the onions. Season with garlic salt and pepper. Drain any excess fat and add the marinara pasta sauce and stir to combine and heat.
6. In a medium bowl stir 1 egg, add the cottage cheese, 1/2 of the Parmesan, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix well, until the mixture is evenly combined. Stir in the spinach, using a fork to break it up and distribute it as evenly with the mixture as possible.
7. You will be building this recipe with 2 layers of eggplant. Spoon half of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer. Lay 1/2 the eggplant slices on top followed by all of the cottage cheese mixture. Layer the sautéed mushrooms next and then a thin layer of fresh spinach. Layer on the remaining slices of eggplant and finish with the remaining marinara sauce. Top with the mozzarella and remaining Parmesan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the lasagna is hot and bubbly. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fresh herbs. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes, then serve. |
This recipe for Eggplant Lasagne "Under Construction" is from