Noodleless Eggplant Spinach Lasagna Food

NOODLE-LESS EGGPLANT LASAGNA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper. Spray 9-inch pie plate or 8-inch round pan lightly with olive oil cooking spray.
• Cut eggplant into very thin slices using mandolin. Place slices in single layer on cookie sheets; sprinkle lightly with salt. (If necessary, do this in batches if only 1 sheet fits in your oven at a time.) Bake about 6 minutes or until slightly shriveled and almost tender. Remove from oven; set aside to cool. Leave oven on.
• In medium bowl, mix ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. Place thawed spinach in clean tea towel; squeeze out any excess liquid. (There will be a lot!) Add drained spinach to cheese mixture; mix well.
• Spread thin layer of marinara sauce in bottom of pie plate. Layer eggplant slices, slightly overlapping, over sauce to cover bottom of plate. Spread one-third of cheese mixture over eggplant; top with a layer of sauce. Repeat layers 2 more times, layering eggplant, cheese mixture and sauce and ending with final layer of sauce. Top with mozzarella pearls. Cover pie plate with foil.
• Bake in center of oven 30 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking 15 to 30 minutes longer or until cheese and sauce are bubbly and eggplant is tender. Remove from oven; cool about 10 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle top of the lasagna with basil before serving.

EGGPLANT LASAGNA

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat 2 rimmed baking sheets with nonstick spray. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
• Arrange sliced eggplant in a single layer on the 2 sheet pans-if some of your end-most eggplant slices are very curved, trim off the eggplant outermost curvy portion so that the slices lay mostly flat. Brush 2 1/2 tablespoons of the oil over both sides of all of the slices. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper over the top.
• Roast the eggplant until it is soft and golden, about 25 minutes, flipping the slices over and swapping the pans' positions once halfway through. Remove the slices from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms are soft, about 7 minutes. Add the minced garlic, next ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and oregano. Cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the marinara pasta sauce and stir to combine.
• In a large bowl add the ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmesan, egg, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix well, until the mixture is evenly combined. Stir in the spinach, using a fork to break it up and distribute it as evenly with the ricotta mixture as possible.
• Spoon half of the mushroom marinara sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer. Lay 4 eggplant slices on top followed by all of the ricotta mixture. Layer on another 4 slices of eggplant and finish with the remaining mushroom marinara sauce. Top with the mozzarella and remaining ¼ cup Parmesan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the lasagna is hot and bubbly. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fresh herbs. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes, then serve.

EGGPLANT LASAGNA RECIPE

Steps:

• Season the eggplant slices on both sides with kosher salt and set aside for 20 to 30 minutes (if you don't have the time, this step can be optional).
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and position a rack in the middle.
• Wipe the eggplant slices very well with a paper towel (you want to dry it well and remove any excess salt), then arrange on lightly oiled baking sheet (or two if needed). Brush the top of the eggplant with extra virgin olive oil. Roast in the heated oven until the eggplant softens and becomes pliable (about 15 to 20 minutes or so).
• While the eggplant is roasting, prepare the ricotta filling. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg. Add the ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, ¼ Parmesan, garlic, oregano, spinach and chopped herbs. Add a small pinch of kosher salt and black pepper to your liking. Mix well to combine.
• Remove the eggplant from the oven. Lower the heat to 375 degrees F.
• Prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Pour a bit of the pasta sauce (about ½ cup or so) and spread it out into one layer. Lay a few eggplant slices (anywhere from 4 to 6 and it's fine if they overlap a bit). Spread 1/2 of the ricotta filling, then spread a thin layer of the sauce. Repeat the process in the same pattern. Spread the final layer of sauce and follow with the remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup of Parmesan.
• Cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake in the heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, then carefully uncover and return to the oven. Bake for another 10 to 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the edges of the lasagna turn a nice golden brown.
• Let the lasagna rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

NOODLELESS LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Brown ground beef and drain. Add spaghetti sauce and mushrooms and simmer for 10 minutes.
• In a small bowl, mix the ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup mozzarella and Italian seasoning. Beat well with fork.
• Grease a 8x8-inch glass dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread beef mixture.
• Spread the ricotta mix. Lay half of the pepperoni on top of the ricotta mix. Put the remaining mozzarella over the pepperoni and then lay the remaining pepperoni on top of the cheese.
• Bake until bubbly (about 20 minutes).