Eggplant Lasagna With Spicy Italian Sausage Meat Sauce Food

MEAT AND EGGPLANT SAUCE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onions start turning clear, 5 to 10 minutes. Add ground beef; season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes. Fill the empty tomato can with water and pour into the sauce.
• Stir eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, tomato puree, 2 tablespoons salt, basil, black pepper, oregano, and bay leaf into the sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors are well blended, about 1 hour. Remove and discard bay leaf.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and lay the noodles out on paper towels to dry; remove and discard any broken pieces.
• Combine ricotta and egg in a bowl; season with salt and pepper and whisk thoroughly.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Coat the bottom of a large baking pan with the sauce. Layer noodles, ricotta mixture, sauce, mozzarella cheese, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top. Repeat layering until all used up. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling furiously, 30 to 35 minutes. Uncover pan and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Continue baking until top is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let lasagna sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

PARMESAN ROASTED GARLIC EGGPLANT AND SPICY ITALIAN CHICKEN SAUSAGE LASAGNA BOATS.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Chop off the top portion of the garlic head to reveal cloves. Peel any excess paper/skin off from the bulb of garlic. Pour about a teaspoon of olive oil on top of the garlic cloves and cover with foil
• Rub the cut sides of the eggplant with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place both the eggplant (cut side down) and garlic on a baking sheet.
• Roast both the garlic and eggplant for 30-45 minutes, or until the garlic is golden brown and the eggplant is soft.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the sausage and break apart into small pieces. Brown the sausage all over, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage from the skillet and set on a plate.
• Add another drizzle of olive oil to the skillet, add the onions to the pan. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are wilted and lightly caramelized, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the red peppers, zucchini and thyme to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, basil, oregano, salt and pepper, to taste, and cook for another 5 minutes. Simmer the sauce on the stove while preparing the rest of the meal.
• Once the garlic and eggplant have roasted, squeeze the garlic out of the paper skin into a small bowl and mash well with a fork. To the garlic add 1/4 cup chopped basil, crushed red pepper flakes and the parmesan.
• Flip the eggplants over and rub them all over with the garlic mix. Drizzle with olive oil. Place the eggplant back in the oven for about 5 minutes.
• Remove the eggplant and top each half with the meat sauce. Try to stuff the meat sauce into the middle of the eggplant. Layer on the slices of mozzarella cheese. Place back in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling. Serve warm with fresh basil and a side of pasta if desired.

EGGPLANT PARM LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a cooling rack. Lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season eggplant slices with salt, then place in a colander set over a plate. Set aside.
• Combine panko, Italian seasoning, 1 cup parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine until finely ground, then transfer crumbs to a shallow dish or bowl. Place eggs and flour in separate shallow dishes or bowls.
• To prepare eggplant, dredge each slice on both sides in the flour, then eggs, then the panko parmesan mixture and place on the cooling rack. Heat 3/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, fry the eggplant until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Add additional olive oil if needed during frying. Drain fried eggplant on a towel-lined plate.
• In a large bowl, stir to combine ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.
• To assemble lasagna, spoon 1/2 cup marinara sauce into the bottom of the pan, spreading to coat. Top with 4 lasagna noodles, then 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, a layer of eggplant, 1 cup marinara sauce and 1 cup shredded mozzarella. Repeat layering twice more and top last layer of lasagna noodles with sauce, 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella and 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for 10 minutes.
• Let sit 10 minutes, then slice and serve. Top with sliced basil.

VEGETABLE LASAGNA WITH MEAT SAUCE (EGGPLANT AND RED PEPPERS)

Steps:

• Preheat broiler. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Place bell peppers on prepared baking sheet. Broil until skins are charred and blistered, 10 to 15 minutes, turning once. Transfer peppers to a plastic or brown paper bag, seal, and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes. Peel skins from peppers and cut in half lengthwise. Remove and discard stems and seeds. Cut peppers lengthwise into 1 inch wide strips. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, trim unpeeled eggplant and cut lengthwise into ½ inch thick slices. Re-line baking sheet with foil. Place eggplant slices in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat source until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes, turning once. Remove from oven and set aside.
• TO MAKE SAUCE: In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, for about 10 minutes, until no longer pink. Discard all fat. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, wine, herbs, salt, if desired, and pepper until blended. Simmer, uncovered, until sauce begins to thicken, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions. Drain well, rinse in cold water, and drain again.
• Spoon 1 cup meat sauce evenly over bottom of a 16 x 12 inch casserole. Arrange one- third of noodles over sauce. Arrange half of eggplant slices and half of bell pepper strips over noodles. Gently spread one- third of remaining meat sauce over vegetables. Top with one -third of ricotta, then one- third of mozzarella. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining noodles, remaining sauce, and remaining ricotta and mozzarella. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
• Preheat oven to 350°F Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until filling is bubbly and lasagna is heated through. Remove oven and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into squares. Makes 12 servings.
• ADVANCE PREPARATION: Lasagna may be made ahead through step 5, covered tightly, and refrigerated overnight or up to 24 hours. Bring to room temperature before baking.
• Heartland Cooking Casseroles Traditional American Recipes.