I've been working on cutting back on the amount of meat I consume, for many reasons; my health, the health of the animals being raised for our consumption, and for the environment.
This has allowed me to branch out into new areas of food! I never thought I could do much of a vegetarian diet, but I have been amazed at what I'm enjoying.
This recipe came because I'm also trying to cut back on carbs. Yes, it does sound like I'm trying to take all the joy out of my life, but I'm finding it another opportunity. AND, I'm not cutting out carbs or meat 100%, just cutting back.
Get to the point you say? I agree. Here's the recipe:
Cut two medium sided eggplants into 1/4 inch thick slices. Cut length wise for long strips that will be used in place of the noodles.
In a bowl combine 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and 1 teaspoon of onion powder and stir.
Heat a grill pan to medium high (you could also use a grill, but I'd still use a grill pan as you may lose some eggplant in the slats of a grill and ain't nobody got time for that).
Brush the olive oil mixture to coat one side of the slices of eggplant and place on the grill pan, then brush the side that's still facing up so it's ready for flipping. I could to 3 slices at at time on my little pan. Cook about 3-4 minutes and flip once you have good grill marks across and cook another 3-4 minutes and repeat until all the egg plant is cooked and set aside.
Then dice one medium onion, shred 2 carrots, chop two stalks of celery, and chop one medium fennel bulb. Place in a pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil with salt and pepper and saute until the onions become translucent. You want to cook out as much of the moisture as you can without browning the veggies. Then set aside.
Slice one package of baby bella mushrooms and set aside.
In a bowl combine one container of ricotta cheese with 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic power, and the juice from half a lemon, and...you guessed it, set it aside.
Now, take a 9x13 baking dish and brush with olive oil or use a cooking spray. Then add a very thin layer of your favorite marinara sauce and top that with your first layer of eggplant slices and try to get as much coverage as possible. Top with a layer of the sauteed onion mixture, then top with a layer of the ricotta cheese mixture, add a thin layer of marinara, then repeat. On top add your mushrooms, then top with fresh sliced mozzarella (I needed to balls) and another 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Cover with foil and cook in a 375 degree over for 30 minutes covered, then removed the cover and let it cook another 30 minutes. There's a lot of water in the veggies and you'll want to be sure that can get out.
Remove and let sit at least 15 minutes so the lasagna will set.
Then, enjoy!!!!! A photo will come later, but this tasted so much better than I imaged it would. It's also going to be great for a dinner with my vegetarian family and my gluten free family because it's both!
