Eggplant Lasagna
October 24, 2008
Lasagna!! Who doesn’t love it, perfect for a party, perfect for a sunday night meal, and the best part leftovers during the week. Lasagna can be made any time of the year, winter and summer!! This recipe includes eggplant, (a member of the night shade family, related to the potato and tomatoe). Most people think that eggplant is a vegetable, it is actually a berry. The early varieties of eggplant, originally from Asia were very bitter, however through cultivation and cross breading it’s flavor has increased greatly. Now I decided to change it up a little by adding andouille sausage to my sauce. In a food processor, I coarsley chopped 1 package of Aidells andouille sausage and sauteed it with the onions until the onions were translucent and the sausage was nicely browned. Please enjoy!
My source for this recipe was the wine section of the San Francisco chronicle October 17th, 2008. For more recipes cooking with eggplant click here.
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 tbsp. minced garlic
- ¾ cup red wine
- 1- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1-28 oz. can tomatoes, crushed
- Pepper to taste
- 10 large basil leaves, chopped
- 1 tbsp. finely chopped marjoram
- 12 sheets no-boil lasagna
- 8 oz. grated mozzarella
- 4 oz. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Peel eggplant; cut crosswise into ¼ inch slices. Sprinkle slices liberally with kosher salt. Place in colander and drain for 30-45 minutes. Blot dry with paper towels.
Working in batches, place a single layer of eggplant on a microwave proof plate. Cook on high for 3 minutes, or until eggplant is soft and pliable. Repeat with remaining eggplant; set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large nonreactive skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook briefly until aromatic. Add wine, cook until the pan is almost dry, then add crushed tomatoes, the juice from the can of the whole tomatoes and then crush the whole pieces by hand, and add to sauce. Simmer the sauce until slightly reduced but still loose, about 15-20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove skillet from heat; add fresh herbs. Set aside.
This recipe can be prepared ahead to this point then assembled just before baking. The unbaked lasagna also keeps well refrigerated or wrapped well and frozen.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9×13 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray or olive oil. Ladle in enough sauce to just cover the bottom of the dish. Place 4 noodles in the dish lengthwise across the 9-inch long side; overlap the edges so the space is the same between noodles and all 4 side of the dish (the noodles will expand as they cook). Place a single layer of eggplant atop the noodles, making sure the eggplant touches the side of the dish. Sprinkle eggplant evenly with about 1 cup of mozzarella and 3 tbsp. of parmesan.
Repeat the layering; sauce, noodles, eggplant and cheese; then add a layer of sauce and noodles; and finish with the remaining sauce-which should fully cover the noodles-and remainder of the cheese.
Cover dish with plastic wrap then with foil large enough to cover the edges of the plastic wrap (the plastic won’t melt if it’s protected by the foil). Alternatively, use parchment paper in place of plastic wrap. Foil placed directly on the acidic sauce may react with it, leaving small holes in the foil and gray aluminum spots on the lasagna.
Bake for 45 minutes covered. Remove foil and plastic wrap, if using, and bake an additional 15 minutes, until cheese is browned and eggplant is tender. Rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Serves: 8 to 10
Total time: 1 hour prep
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