Eggplant Lasagne © llizard aka ejm 2000, 2002

This recipe came from my sister who said she adapted it from a vegetarian cookbook. It was originally a recipe for summer squash lasagne but she didn't have summer squash so she used eggplant; she didn't have lasagne noodles so used shell pasta; she didn't have wine so used cider vinegar and she doesn't eat feta cheese so used monterey jack.

I further changed her recipe by switching the monterey jack to parmesan and mozzarella and switching back to using lasagne noodles. (I apologize for the lack of measurements in this casserole. For two people, I use one largish eggplant or two goodsize Japanese eggplants, 1 or 2 onions and one large red pepper.)

Ingredients

eggplant
onions, chopped
mushrooms
red pepper
zucchini
cider vinegar
soy sauce
pepper
dill weed
basil
tomato sauce
spinach leaves, washed
parmesan cheese
mozzarella cheese
lasagne noodles (I use fresh pasta sheets or the oven ready kind)
paprika

Preparation

1. Slice an eggplant in rounds. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes in 425 oven or until cooked (or as long as it takes to saute the onion/mushroom mixture). The slices turn a little brown and dry looking.
   
   
2. Meanwhile, saute the onions, mushrooms, red pepper until soft. Add some cider vinegar, soy sauce, pepper, dill, basil. Cook until quite dry.
   
   
3. Grate parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
   
   

Assemble casserole as follows:

Put some pasta sauce on the bottom of a lasagne pan. Spread pasta on top. (We've found there is no need to parboil fresh pasta.) Cover with half the onion/mushroom mixture. Spread all eggplant on top in overlapping layers. Spread more pasta sauce. Continue alternating sauce, pasta, fresh spinach, pasta, cheese until the final layer of pasta. The top should be a layer of the cheese mixture. Sprinkle paprika and pepper on top.

Bake at 350F for 30 - 40 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden. Let sit for as long as you can stand and eat.

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