Eggplant Lasagna
This lasagna is full of flavor with tomato sauce, bechamel sauce and cheese alternating with eggplant layers.
The eggplant makes the meal light compared to traditional lasagnas.
Ingredients:
1 eggplant
1 jar storebought marinara sauce
1 lb ground beef or sausage or lamb or chicken or turkey (optional if vegetarian)
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp butter
2 cups shredded cheese
1/2 medium onion (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1/2 cup mushroom (optional) - diced
1/2 cup green peppers (optional) - diced
1 tsp oregano (optional)
1 jalapeno pepper or any hot pepper (optional)
2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1/4 cup parsley
Directions:
- Slice eggplant lengthwise into approximate 1/2 cm thick slices.
- Season with olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Bake in oven for 20 minutes at 375F. Remove from oven and set aside when done.
- Fry in oil onions, garlic and jalapeno peppers until slightly browned.
- Add ground meat and fry until meat is cooked. (May leave out meat if prefer vegetarian lasagna. Double amounts of mushroom and green peppers instead)
- Add mushrooms and green peppers.
- Add oregano and marinara sauce and let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside
- For white or bechamel sauce, melt butter in pan.
- Add flour and stir for a few minutes.
- Add milk and allowed to thicken. Stir constantly as it burns easily.
- Add a half of parsley into white sauce. Set aside.
- To set up lasagna, place some meat and white sauce at bottom layer, enough to cover bottom of baking pan.
- Top with eggplant. Place more meat and white sauce on top of eggplant. Also layer on some shredded cheese.
- Keep alternating eggplant, sauces and cheese until all out, making sure to end with cheese at the top.
- Bake in 350F oven for 20 minutes or until cheese melts.
- Garnish with parsley. Let sit for 10 minutes after lasagna comes out of oven to allow it out set.