Eggplant Lasagna - Quick & Easy
Ingredients:
2 medium-large eggplants, sliced lengthwise in 1/4" slices
1 pound ground beef (I used sirloin)
1 28-oz jar DelGrosso Vodka Sauce (or your favorite sauce)
1 lb. ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
8 oz mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded
4 oz provolone cheese, sliced or shredded
Olive oil for brushing eggplant slices
Salt & pepper, to taste
Directions:
In a medium saucepan or stockpot, brown the ground beef until cooked through. Pour jar of spaghettii sauce over beef and simmer 15-20 minutes, uncovered. On a couple of large cookie sheets (I lined with non-stick Reynolds foil), lightly brush the pans with olive oil and placed eggplant slices, brushing lightly with olive oil; season with salt and pepper and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes (or until tender), turning eggplant over 1/2 way through.
Lightly brush the bottom of a baking dish or casserole dish with olive oil; spread 1/2 cup of sauce in bottom of pan (more, if desired). Layer 1/2 of the eggplant slices, overlapping until bottom is covered. Spread about 1-1/2 cups of meat sauce over the eggplant base layer; spread ricotta or cottage cheese on top of the sauce layer; top with 1/2 the mozzarella and provolone. Add 2nd layer of eggplant using the remainder. Cover with more meat sauce; top with remaining mozzarella and provolone cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 25-30 minutes, until bubbly and browned on top.
*Note: If you cut this lasagna too soon while it is still real hot (like I did), it won't cut into nice squares because all the cheese and sauce runs together. I made the same mistake when I made the Zucchini Lasagna I made recently...but the next day it cut beautifully after setting up. We just couldn't wait tonight so we rushed it a bit! Also, I think ricotta cheese would be better than using cottage cheese since cottage cheese doesn't really melt the same way that ricotta does.
2 comments:
Yes, it's good to leave it sit before cutting. I usually let it sit 15-20 minutes. Hate to say it, but, to me, it always tastes better the next day. I've used either eggplant or zucchini to make a low-carb lasagna and they are both great.
I agree Luana -- I think it's better the 2nd day, too! I use zucchini for lasagna too -- I love to grill the zucchini -- there's a Grilled Zucchini Lasagna recipe posted on my blog, too! You just need to be careful about not adding too much sauce when using zucchini or it gets a little slippery! :-)
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