Eggplant Lasagna

This is a variation on our No Noodle Lasagna using eggplant, rather than zucchini. It is DELISH.

We’ve tweaked a few other things as well, kind of making the original recipe more our own. The more we make it, the more comfortable we’ve become with using different combinations of meats, such as pork and venison sausage (YUM), as well as different tomato flavors, using some of the homemade versions I’ve made in the past couple of months. It’s an easy recipe to vary, the main components being: meat, cheese, eggplant, spinach, tomato sauce, and veggies (onion, bell pepper, mushroom, what-have-you.)

For this particular version we used the following:

• 1.5 lbs ground beef
• 1/2 cup homemade pico de gallo (standing in for the veggie factor)
• 1/4 cup homemade spicy roasted bell pepper and tomato paste
• 8 oz can Hunts Basil, Garlic, and Oregano Tomato Sauce
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• dash of oregano
• 3 eggs
• ricotta cheese
• shredded parmesan, romaine, asiago cheese
• lots of shredded mozzarella cheese (about a 1/2 lb)
• 1 large eggplant
• spinach leaves (almost all of a 5 oz package)
• mushrooms (oops, we were all out)

First we brown the meat. This takes a little while so you can work on some of the other preparation, checking back frequently to stir the meat. Once the meat is about half done, we add the oregano, garlic, tomato sauce, paste, and pico and let it all simmer until it is time to assemble the layers.

Next component: the cheesy, ricotta mix. Using the eggs, ricotta cheese, and shredded parmesan, romaine, asiago cheese, we make a thick, cheesy paste. Lightly beat the 3 eggs, then mix together well with the cheeses. Add cheese to the consistency you want. See the bowl with the spoon below? Like that.

Next. The eggplant. We use our mandoline slicer (very handy btw) to cut the eggplant into very thin rounds, after removing the skin. (Sorry that I didn’t get a picture of that process.)

A note about the spinach. Other recipes call for wilting or steaming your spinach first, but that’s a pain in the rear. It’s just fine to leave it fresh.

Once all these various components are ready, it’s time to start layering! We grease the pan with coconut oil and then we start with a layer of eggplant, then ricotta cheese, spinach, meat, and lastly, mozzarella cheese. Repeat. As many times as you like, or can fit.

We’ve got three layers in there. It doesn’t spill over either. (I was worried the first time.)

Bake this sucker at 325 for about 45 minutes, or until your top is sufficiently browned to your liking.

Enjoy! I’m telling you, you will not even notice that there aren’t any noodles in this.

Once again, my life has been saved by the miracle of lasagna.
~ Garfield (Jim Davis)