Eggplant Mushroom Lasagna For A Crowd Food

CRISPY EGGPLANT AND MUSHROOM LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a deep-fryer or heavy-bottomed pot, heat enough canola oil to come halfway up the sides of the pot, to 375 degrees F. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Put the flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in 3 separate shallow dishes. Add the water to egg dish. Dredge the eggplant slices through the flour, shaking off the excess. Then coat the eggplant with the eggs and then the bread crumbs. Put the breaded slices on a quarter sheet tray and set aside. Repeat the same procedure with the portobello caps. Working in several batches, fry the eggplant slices and mushroom slices in the fryer until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove them from the fryer to a half sheet tray lined with paper towels. Season the eggplant and mushrooms with the tablespoon of salt and pepper, after removing them from the fryer. Set aside.
• In a medium-sized saucepan, whisk together the soup and the milk. Bring it to a simmer over low heat. Stir in the pesto and tomatoes until well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Ladle a few ounces of pesto sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish. Put a layer of fried eggplant on top of the sauce. Spoon an even amount of tomatoes over the eggplant. Ladle a few ounces of pesto sauce over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with some Parmesan and add a few slices of mozzarella. Top the cheese with the fried mushrooms and more sauce. Repeat with the remainder of ingredients finishing with pesto sauce and cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese begins to brown and sauce is bubbling.

MUSHROOM-EGGPLANT LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Sauce: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Add mushrooms and eggplant and saute 10 minutes. Add onion, carrots, celery, and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until vegetables have browned in places and most of moisture is cooked out of mushrooms and eggplant, about 15 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red-pepper flakes; cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add tomato paste; cook 2 minutes more. Puree tomatoes in a blender or food processor; add to pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened slightly but still very loose, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Cheese Mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together ricotta, milk, eggs, 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, 2 1/2 cups mozzarella, parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Assembly: Spread 2 cups sauce evenly in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, preferably ceramic or enameled cast iron. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles over sauce (space noodles evenly; they will expand as the lasagna cooks). Spread 2 cups cheese mixture over noodles; top with 3 more noodles. Repeat layering of vegetable and cheese mixtures between noodles twice more. Spread 2 cups sauce evenly over top layer of noodles. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 1/2 cups mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Loosely cover with parchment-lined foil and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake until noodles are tender but still al dente (easily pierced with the tip of a knife), 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover; continue baking until bubbly and puffed slightly along edges and golden brown in places on top, 20 to 25 minutes more. (There may appear to be a lot of liquid in the dish. It will be absorbed as the lasagna cools.) Transfer dish to a wire rack and let cool slightly and set, about 20 minutes; cut into squares to serve.

EGGPLANT LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Oil 2 baking sheets and a 9x13-inch baking dish with 1 teaspoon olive oil.
• Whisk eggs and water together in a shallow dish. Combine Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, salt, and ground black pepper in a separate shallow dish.
• Dip eggplant slices into egg mixture, then press each gently into bread crumb mixture. Gently tap off any excess crumbs. Arrange slices on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake eggplant slices in the preheated oven until tops are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Flip eggplant and bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove eggplant from the oven and increase temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and stir in ground beef. Season beef with salt and ground black pepper. Cook and stir until beef is browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Drain excess grease. Stir tomato sauce into ground beef; bring to a simmer and set sauce aside.
• Place 1/3 of the eggplant slices on bottom of the dish. Pour 1/3 of tomato sauce with ground beef on top of eggplant layer. Sprinkle 1/3 of mozzarella cheese on top of sauce layer. Repeat 2 more times, finishing with a layer of mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

LASAGNA WITH ROASTED EGGPLANT, MUSHROOMS AND CARROTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Place the eggplant slices on a sheet pan or a cooling rack and sprinkle with salt. Let sit 15 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. Pat dry with paper towels and toss in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Place on the baking sheet in a single layer (you may have to do this in two batches) and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, close the oven door and, using tongs, flip the eggplant slices over. Return to the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender when pierced with a knife and browned in spots.
• Toss the mushrooms, carrots and thyme with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Place on the parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the carrots are lightly caramelized and the mushrooms tender. Remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 350 degrees.
• Lightly oil a rectangular baking pan. Stir the mushrooms and carrots into the marinara sauce. Spread a small spoonful of the sauce over the bottom of a baking pan. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles. Top the noodles with a spoonful of sauce, then a layer of eggplant slices. Top the eggplant with half of the mozzarella and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of lasagna noodles topped with a layer of tomato sauce and a layer of Parmesan.
• 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. Uncover and, if you wish, bake another 10 minutes, until the top begins to brown. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

EGGPLANT-MUSHROOM 'LASAGNA' FOR A CROWD

Steps:

• Preheat a broiler. Line a large broiler pan with foil.
• Slice the eggplants one-half-inch thick, discarding the stems and the very bottom slices. Place as many of the slices as fit in a single layer on the broiler pan and broil until lightly browned, turning the slices once to brown both sides. Repeat until all the slices have been browned, then set them aside.
• Heat three tablespoons of the oil in a very large, heavy nonstick skillet over high heat. If you do not have a very large skillet, one that holds about four quarts, use two skillets. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry until they have wilted. Remove them from the pan and place in a bowl.
• Add one tablespoon oil to the pan or pans along with the onions, sweet pepper and garlic. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook vegetables, stirring until soft, about 10 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes to the pan, bring to a simmer and cook until fairly smooth, about 20 minutes. Add the oregano, parsley and fennel and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix half the tomato sauce with the mushrooms and set the rest aside.
• Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan. Whisk in the flour then slowly whisk in the milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened and smooth. It will not be a very thick sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Mix in the shredded mozzarella.
• Use one-half tablespoon of oil to grease two baking dishes each about 9 by 13 inches and 2 inches deep. Spread a little of the plain tomato sauce in the bottom of each.
• Place a layer of eggplant in each dish, using a total of one-third of the eggplant. Spread with one-half of the tomato and mushroom mixture, then sprinkle with one-third of the bread crumbs. Spoon on half the mozzarella and white sauce mixture. Then repeat the layers of eggplant, mushrooms with tomato, bread crumbs and mozzarella and white sauce.
• Finally, top each baking dish with a layer of eggplant and spread with a thin layer of the plain tomato sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining bread crumbs, then sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese. Drizzle with the remaining oil. Cover the baking dishes with foil. If the dishes are prepared more than two hours before serving they should be refrigerated.
• Have the baking dishes at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the baking dishes in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover the dishes and bake 25 to 30 minutes longer, until the ingredients bubble and the top lightly browns.
• Meanwhile, reheat the remaining tomato sauce.
• When the baking dishes are removed from the oven allow them to stand for five minutes before serving. Serve a dish of the tomato sauce alongside. If you cannot fit both baking dishes in your oven at one time, either bake the second one after the first has come out of the oven or you can bake them an hour or so in advance of serving, cover them with foil when they have come out of the oven, then reheat each at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes before serving.

MEATY MUSHROOM LASAGNA

Steps:

• Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Set aside.
• Sauce: In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Gradually add the warm milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 8 minutes (do not allow the mixture to boil). Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheeses and nutmeg. Stir until the cheeses have melted and the sauce is smooth. Add the prosciutto, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper.
• Filling: In a large skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook, stirring frequently until soft, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, rosemary and thyme and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are golden and the liquid has evaporated, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• To assemble the lasagna: Ladle 1/2 cup of the sauce over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Lay 3 pasta noodles on top. Spoon 1/2 of the mushroom mixture on top of the pasta. Ladle 1 cup of the sauce over the mushroom mixture and lay 3 more noodles on top. Repeat the layers using the remaining mushroom mixture, 1 cup of sauce and the remaining 3 noodles. Top with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with 1 cup smoked mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Drizzle the top with olive oil and bake until the top is golden and the filling is bubbling about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Cut the lasagna into wedges and serve.

WILD MUSHROOM LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt and a splash of oil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.
• For the white sauce, bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan. Set aside. Melt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture all at once. Add 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring first with the wooden spoon and then with a whisk, for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick. Set aside off the heat.
• Separate the mushroom stems from the caps and discard the stems. Slice the caps 1/4-inch thick. Roughly chop the wild mushrooms. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan. When the butter melts, add half the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and they release some of their juices. If they become too dry, add a little more oil. Toss occasionally to make sure the mushrooms cook evenly. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms and set all the mushrooms aside.
• To assemble the lasagna, spread some of the sauce in the bottom of an 8 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then more sauce, then 1/3 of the mushrooms, and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan. Repeat 2 more times, layering noodles, sauce, mushrooms, and Parmesan. Top with a final layer of noodles and sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.
• Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes, or until the top is browned the sauce is bubbly and hot. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and serve hot.

LASAGNA FOR A CROWD

Steps:

• Brown meat, onion, and green pepper (and mushrooms if desired), adding garlic salt. Drain fat.
• Add tomato sauce and bring to a simmer, cover and cook for at least 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles in salted water (reserve the cooking liquid) until barely al dente (about 7 minutes) and combine the cottage cheese and mayonnaise in a bowl.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Grease a 13X9 pan with butter. Evaluate the sauce, if it has cooked for a long time and lost a lot of liquid, thin it by adding 1/4 cup at a time of cooking liquid from the noodles. Add as much as desired to get the right consistency: thick but spreadable. This will also make your sauce "sticky" so it will coat the noodles.
• Spoon a thin layer of sauce into the bottom of the dish. Layer noodles (overlapping if necessary), 1/2 meat mixture and 1/2 the cheese mixture.
• Cover with the rest of noodles, meat and cheese mixture. Top with shredded mozzarella.
• You can store this in the refrigerator or freezer at this point until ready to heat. Allow extra time for reheating from cold or frozen state. Spray a sheet of foil with cooking spray and cover the lasagna with it. Bake for 1 hour.
• Uncover and continue baking until the cheese is bubbly and browning.