Eggplant Lasagna

There is something about fresh eggplant that is so appealing to me. I'm not sure if it's all the colorful varieties and various shapes that draws me in, but I seldom won't pick up a few whenever I shop. The deep shiny plum hooks me every time! It's just a gorgeous vegetable.

I picked up this weeks eggplant with the intention of making eggplant haystacks, but once I returned home from the market realized I had forgotten to pick up a few more necessary ingredients, so instead I decided on eggplant lasagna instead. An easy dish to prepare, fewer carbs, omitting traditional lasagna noodles and just plain delicious!



2 eggplants
seasoned bread crumbs
flour
1 egg
milk
olive oil
30 oz ricotta cheese
3 tsp pecorino cheese
1 egg
1 cup fresh spinach
sea salt, pepper
1 tsp fresh parsley
marinara sauce
Italian sausage, cooked & sliced (opt)
mozzarella shreds



Frying the eggplant:
· Slice eggplant and dredge in seasoned flour.
· Dip into egg wash made of egg and a little milk
· Now dredge into seasoned bread crumbs
· Fry the crumbed eggplant slices in good olive oil until golden brown.. then drain on paper towels

As you are frying the eggplant, warm up the marinara sauce & prepare the ricotta filling

Ricotta filling:
· 30 oz Ricotta cheese
· 3 tsp grated pecorino cheese
· 1 egg
· 1 cup fresh spinach, torn
· salt, pepper, fresh parsley

Mix all together until creamed well. * Save any leftover cheese mixture and add it into your morning omelet.

To Assemble:
Pour a ladleful of sauce to the bottom of baking dish. Place fried eggplant slices, slightly overlapping one another to cover bottom of your dish. Add a layer of ricotta mixture and sliced sausage if desired. Spoon a bit of sauce over all and repeat the steps. When your layers are completed, top with a bit more sauce and sprinkle mozzarella cheese over all.
Pop the dish into a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes uncovered. Allow it to set 10 minutes before serving. Serve with a nice garden salad. Enjoy!