Roasted Eggplant Lasagna
This is a family favorite recipe that is great all-year-round. Leftovers warm up well for lunch boxes. There is lots of room to be creative and play around with the tomato sauce here, just make sure that it has good consistency (not too watery and not too thick) and that the garlic flavor comes through. Don't be afraid of the tofu, I be no one will even notice... Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 1-pound eggplants, peeled, cut into 1-in pieces
- 3 tablespoon EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
- 16 ounces part-skim ricotta (this can be substituted for 16 ounces of soft tofu)
- 16 ounces soft tofu (double if eliminating ricotta entirely)
- 1 ½ cups freshly grated Parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano is best)
- ½ cup chopped shallots
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 9 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 8 ounces sliced, smoked mozzarella cheese (ok to use just fresh mozzarella if you can't find smoked, but the smoked version really adds a depth of flavor to the dish)
- 28 ounces tomato sauce with roasted garlic (I prefer my fresh puttanesca sauce, which adds a brininess with the inclusion of olives & the essence of anchovies)
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 375º.
Place eggplant pieces on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt; let stand for 20 minutes.
Transfer eggplant to baking sheet and toss with 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
Roast eggplant until tender, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Set aside.
Maintain oven temperature.
With a whisk, mix ricotta, tofu, ½ cup Parmesan, shallots, rosemary and thyme in large bowl. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
Oil a 13x9x2 glass baking dish.
Spread ½ cup tomato sauce on bottom of dish. Gently shake to distribute evenly.
Arrange 3 lasagna noodles in a single layer in dish.
Spread half of ricotta/tofu mixture over noodles.
Arrange half of eggplant over and season with salt and pepper.
Spoon generous 1 cup tomato sauce over eggplant layer.
Arrange half of mozzarella in single layer over tomato sauce.
Repeat steps 9-13.
Top with 3 lasagna noodles.
Evenly spread remaining sauce over.
Sprinkle with ¾ cup Parmesan.
Cover tightly with lightly oiled foil.
Bake until noodles are tender and lasagna is heated through, about 45 minutes.
Uncover; bake until cheese begins to brown and is bubbling slightly at edges, about 10 minutes longer.
Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
