I love to cook. I really do. I completely enjoy finding new ways to use the ingredients that I love to create something that my family, my friends, and I will enjoy. If the outcome is something that is good for us, that’s even better!
When spring comes along, I begin longing for fresh vegetables from our local farmers markets, and I’m always looking for new things to make to incorporate those yummy treasures. We usually have eggplant in abundance in our East Texas farmers markets, and I wanted to try them out for myself. This recipe is one that I have had for several years, but just tried last year, and my family loves it! Basically, the eggplant slices take the place of the lasagna noodles in this eggplant lasagna; don’t panic, you’ll love it, even if you’re not a big fan of eggplant. (I’m not a big fan, myself, usually.)
Also, I notice that eggplants are still available in my grocery store, even in winter. You might find them in yours, too!
Mama Steph’s eggplant lasagna
2 medium to large eggplants, washed and peeled. Slice into rounds about 1/3″ thick.
Place the rounds on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Drizzle olive oil on the rounds, and sprinkle with dried oregano, basil, garlic, and any other spices you prefer in an Italian dish.
Place the baking sheet of eggplant slices under the broiler, and cook until gently browned.
While they’re browning, (don’t forget to keep an eye on them!), mix together
- 16 oz. ricotta cheese
- one egg
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese.
Make a sauce: this is where you can be creative. I made mine like this:
- 2- 28 oz. cans of tomato sauce
- 1- 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes
- 1 lb. ground turkey, browned
- Italian spices
- salt & pepper, to taste
I simmered this sauce for thirty minutes or so. You can do it well in advance, just before assembling, or even just use a jarred sauce in a pinch.
I also had on hand one small package of white button mushrooms which I had brushed off (don’t immerse fresh mushrooms in water; it makes them tough. Use a veggie brush or paper towel to brush them off.) I sliced the mushrooms. If you don’t care for mushrooms, you may leave these out, of course.
Finally, you should have at least 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese. I use the lowfat verion, just to save fat and calories.
Now comes the fun part! Begin layering in a 9×13 casserole dish. Sauce on the bottom of the dish, then a layer of eggplant, layer of fresh mushroom slices, 1/2 of ricotta mixture, 1 cup of shredded mozzarella, then repeat, beginning with sauce and ending with mozzarella. (You really can’t get this wrong. Do it however you like. )
Top it all off with a nice sprinkling of grated parmesan, and stick it in the oven, uncovered, and bake at 400 degrees F until bubbly and a bit browned on top.
This makes a fairly large lasagna; we had four large servings out of it the first night, with three servings left over that I enjoyed for lunches, reheated in the microwave. It is so good that my teenage sons all love it and want seconds! They’ve never been willing to eat eggplant in any other form. 🙂
Please let me know if you try it! I’d love your feedback on this recipe. Enjoy!
You might also like: Turkey & chevre-stuffed peppers (no rice in this recipe, so if you’re low-carbing you’ll especially enjoy this one. It is amazing!)
Copyright 2013 Stephanie Hill Frazier. All rights reserved.
In Mama Steph's Kitchen 
Super Yummy mamastephf…would love to try some someday. Send a slice to the station…but make sure it gets to me…before the vultures get to it. Thanks for the recipe idea.
Maybe I could be really nice and bring a whole recipe of it over for you to share with your coworkers. 🙂 Or you could just try it out on the family at home! (You’re welcome for the idea.)
Great lasagna recipe you got here. I’m used to using marinara sauce because it’s what I usually have, lol! I like your sauce recipe though. I’ll definitely try this. I’m quite interested with veggie lasagna lately. My twin boys enjoy my spinach lasagna and I kinda want to follow through it and make different lasagna version with different veggies. I realized that the best way to urge them to eat veggies is through their favorite dish lasagna, lol!
Great idea! I hope if you try my recipe that you’ll come back and tell me how you changed it and how it turned out. And most importantly, how your twins liked it! 🙂
If I’m going to leave out meat completely, (vegetarian daughter) would I need to replace it with anything for flavor or just continue with the recipe?
If it were me, I’d chop up some zucchini for extra flavor and texture, but I don’t think you really have to. It’ll just be a bit thinner in the pan, but still great! I hope you’ll let me know of you try it, ok?
What if you removed some of the liquid out of the eggplant? I also have a vegetarian daughter that I would love to try this with.
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