Vegetarian Lasagne

This is a quick combo recipe for veggie Lasagne/Eggplant Parmigiana. Just leave out the noodles and spinach for Eggplant Parmigiana. You can par boil the noodles but these days I just use the no boil Lasagne noodles from Barilla (if you do decide to use parboiled noodles you will need to saute the spinach, mushrooms and onions before layering or it will make a big mushy mess).


SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:

1 onion, peeled and diced
1 portobello mushroom cap diced
1 clove garlic
1 can of tomatoe puree
3 Tablespoons Tomatoe paste concentrate in the tube or 1 small can.
1/4 cup red wine
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
2 or 3 fresh basil leaves cut into ribbons (or a teaspoon of dry basil)
1/4 cup grated romano cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

WHAT TO DO:

Heat the olive oil in large saucepan, add mushrooms, garlic and onions and cook till unions are translucent. Add the tomatoe paste and red wine whisk until the wine and tomatoe are blended then add the puree, herbs, reduce the heat and cook at a low simmer about 30 minutes.


EGGPLANT

INGREDIENTS:

1 Eggplant (the large purple ones) peeled and cut into 1/4 slices
2 cups Italian bread crumbs (I just use the progresso stuff from the supermarket or you can make your own)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
enough vegetable oil to give you about an inch of oil in a heavy cast iron skillet.

WHAT TO DO:

Beat the eggs and milk together in a bowl. Give the eggplant a bath in the egg/milk mixture then dredge in bread crumbs. Cook in hot oil until golden brown. Cool on a tray lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil. (you can also bake the eggplant instead of fry it but it never seems to come out the same)


VEGETABLE/ CHEESE FILLING:

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 pound raw spinich leaves
1/2 pound portobello mushrooms (or any other kind of mushroom or mix of mushrooms you like)
3 hard cooked eggs
1 pound whole milk mozzerella cheese (if you use part skim it's not as stringy as the whole milk but go for it if you prefer)
1 clove minced garlic

WHAT TO DO:

Throw it all in a food processor through the grate disc. (Growing up it was all chopped by hand and put in separate bowls but this is quicker, easier to clean up and works just as well) put in a bowl and set aside.


RICOTTA CHEESE FILLING

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. of Ricota Cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Pamesan cheese
1 egg
3 fresh basil leaves chopped fine
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
freshly ground pepper to taste

WHAT TO DO:

Since I'm kind of lazy I just attach the mixing blade to the food processor with what ever little bits are left from making the cheese/veg filling beat the eggs then add all the rest of the ingredients... pulse till it's just mixed.


PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

WHAT TO DO:

I use glass baking dishes from corning that have storage lids so any left overs can go right to the fridge in the same pan they were baked in but use any baking dish you have on hand or even use the disposable pans from the market. This should be more than enough to do a 9 x 13 pan that is 3" deep.

Start with a layer of sauce, covering the bottom of the pan. Then a layer of the no boil noodles, overlapping the noodles a little bit. Another layer of sauce, a layer of the vegetable/cheese filling, a layer of eggplant, then a layer of ricotta cheese filling, some more sauce then level it all out by pressing in another layer of noodles. Repeat until you either run out of ingredients or reach the top of the pan (actually leave a little space from the top so it doesn't bubble over when baking) making sure the top layer is noodles. Cover the last noodle layer in sauce, cover with foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for about an hour. Remove the foil, add some mozzerella cheese to the top and bake another 5 minutes until the cheese is melted. Let the lasagne sit for about 15 minutes before serving.