Eggplant And Portobello Lasagnas With Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette Food

LASAGNA WITH ROASTED EGGPLANT-RICOTTA FILLING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the cherry tomatoes on a large baking sheet along with the thyme, oregano and garlic. Dress with 2 tablespoons of the EVOO, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Roast until the tomatoes burst, 35 to 45 minutes
• Brush the eggplant with the remaining 2 tablespoons EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on a baking sheet and roast alongside the tomatoes until soft, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Let the tomatoes cool slightly, and then puree them with the basil in a food processor until smooth. Remove the skins from the garlic and puree the sauce with the roasted cloves before transferring the sauce to a bowl.
• When the eggplant has cooled, spoon out the flesh and add it into the cleaned bowl of the food processor along with the ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, egg yolks and some salt and pepper. Puree the mixture until smooth and season with more salt and pepper.
• Ladle one-third of the tomato sauce into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Layer pasta sheets on top, followed by one-half of the eggplant, more pasta sheets, tomato sauce and 1/2 of the mozzarella. Repeat with another layer of pasta sheets, followed by the remaining eggplant, more pasta sheets and the remaining tomato sauce. Top the lasagna with the remaining mozzarella. Bake 1 hour. Let cool 20 minutes before serving.

ROASTED EGGPLANT LASAGNA WITH BROILED TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush baking sheet with olive oil. Place eggplant pieces on paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt; let stand 20 minutes. Transfer eggplant to prepared sheet. Toss with 2 tablespoons oil. Roast eggplant until tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Set aside. Maintain oven temperature.
• Mix ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, shallots and rosemary in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
• Oil 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce in dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles crosswise in single layer in dish. Spread half of ricotta mixture over noodles. Arrange half of eggplant over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon generous 1 cup sauce over. Arrange half of mozzarella over sauce. Repeat layering 1 more time. Top with 3 lasagna noodles. Spread remaining sauce over. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup Parmesan. Cover tightly with lightly oiled foil. (Can be made 1 day ahead; chill.)
• Bake until noodles are tender and lasagna is heated through, about 45 minutes. Uncover; bake until cheese begins to brown and sauce is bubbling slightly at edges, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

LASAGNE ROLLS WITH ROASTED TOMATO AND EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Make sauce:
• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 425°F. Oil a 13- by 9-inch or other 3-quart glass or ceramic baking dish and a large shallow baking pan.
• Toss together tomatoes, garlic, 3 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in baking dish, then arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, in 1 layer. Toss eggplant with remaining 3 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in baking pan.
• Roast tomatoes and eggplant, switching position of dish and pan halfway through baking, until tomato skins are wrinkled and beginning to brown and eggplant is golden brown and tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Cool vegetables slightly in dish and pan on racks. (Leave oven on.)
• When tomatoes and garlic are cool enough to handle, transfer to a cutting board (do not clean baking dish). Cut each tomato half lengthwise into 3 pieces and coarsely chop garlic. Transfer to a large bowl, then stir in eggplant and water.
• Make filling and pasta while vegetables for sauce are roasting:
• Stir together all filling ingredients until combined well.
• Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water. Lay noodles flat on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry with paper towels, then cut in half crosswise (you will have 12 noodles).
• Assemble and bake lasagne:
• Move upper oven rack to middle position.
• Spread out half of vegetable mixture in uncleaned baking dish. Lay 4 noodles on a work surface, then spread 3 tablespoons filling evenly over each noodle. Roll up noodles tightly and put rolls, seam sides down and without touching, in vegetable mixture in dish. Make 8 more rolls with remaining noodles and filling in same manner, transferring to dish.
• Lightly brush rolls with water, then spoon remaining vegetables over rolls. Cover dish tightly with foil and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.

BAKED EGGPLANT WITH PORTABELLAS AND TOMATO SAUCE (VEGETARIAN)

Steps:

• Grease a 2-3-quart oval baking dish (I use my Le Creuset cookware for this recipe!).
• Set oven to broiler heat.
• Grease a large baking sheet.
• Brush each side of eggplant slices with olive oil, then season lightly with salt and black pepper.
• Arrange the eggplant slices on the baking sheet; broil for 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned.
• In a large skillet heat 2-4 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat; add in onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, chili flakes (if using) and mushrooms; saute for about 7-8 minutes, or until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates, season the mixture with salt and pepper.
• Spread HALF the mushroom mixture on the bottom of the dish.
• Arrange HALF the eggplant slices over the mushroom mixture.
• Top with HALF of the tomato sauce and about 1-1/2 cups of the mozza cheese.
• Spread the remaining mushroom mixture over the mozza cheese; top with remaining eggplant slices, then top with remaining tomato sauce.
• Cover and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 1 hour.
• Remove then sprinkle with about 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese and about 1-1/2 cups mozza cheese.
• Return to oven uncovered for another 5-6 minutes or until the cheese melts.
• Let stand about 10-15 minutes before serving.
• Delicious!

LASAGNA WITH TOMATO SAUCE AND ROASTED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush the foil lightly with olive oil. Slice the eggplant 1/3 inch thick, sprinkle with salt and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place on the baking sheet and roast 15 to 20 minutes, until the slices are lightly colored on the bottom and soft to the tip of a knife. Remove from the oven, and carefully fold the foil over and crimp the edges together (be careful not to burn yourself!). Let the eggplant cool and steam in the foil packet for 20 minutes. Set aside and turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
• Lightly oil a rectangular baking dish. Blend the ricotta cheese with the egg, water, cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside 1/2 cup of tomato sauce and 3 tablespoons of Parmesan to make sure you have enough for the top layer of the lasagna.
• Spread a small spoonful of tomato sauce in a thin layer over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles. Top the noodles with a thin layer of ricotta. Spoon on a few dollops then spread it with an offset or a rubber spatula. Top the ricotta with half the eggplant, and sprinkle basil and half the mozzarella over the eggplant. Top with a layer of tomato sauce and a layer of Parmesan. Repeat the layers, then add a final layer of lasagna noodles topped with ricotta if any remains, and most importantly with the tomato sauce and Parmesan you set aside. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the top.
• Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and place in the oven. Bake 40 minutes, until the noodles are tender and the mixture is bubbling. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.