Lasagne Rolls With Roasted Tomato And Eggplant Recipes

LASAGNA WITH TOMATO SAUCE AND ROASTED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush the foil lightly with olive oil. Slice the eggplant 1/3 inch thick, sprinkle with salt and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place on the baking sheet and roast 15 to 20 minutes, until the slices are lightly colored on the bottom and soft to the tip of a knife. Remove from the oven, and carefully fold the foil over and crimp the edges together (be careful not to burn yourself!). Let the eggplant cool and steam in the foil packet for 20 minutes. Set aside and turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
• Lightly oil a rectangular baking dish. Blend the ricotta cheese with the egg, water, cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside 1/2 cup of tomato sauce and 3 tablespoons of Parmesan to make sure you have enough for the top layer of the lasagna.
• Spread a small spoonful of tomato sauce in a thin layer over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles. Top the noodles with a thin layer of ricotta. Spoon on a few dollops then spread it with an offset or a rubber spatula. Top the ricotta with half the eggplant, and sprinkle basil and half the mozzarella over the eggplant. Top with a layer of tomato sauce and a layer of Parmesan. Repeat the layers, then add a final layer of lasagna noodles topped with ricotta if any remains, and most importantly with the tomato sauce and Parmesan you set aside. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the top.
• Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and place in the oven. Bake 40 minutes, until the noodles are tender and the mixture is bubbling. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

LASAGNA WITH ROASTED EGGPLANT-RICOTTA FILLING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the cherry tomatoes on a large baking sheet along with the thyme, oregano and garlic. Dress with 2 tablespoons of the EVOO, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Roast until the tomatoes burst, 35 to 45 minutes
• Brush the eggplant with the remaining 2 tablespoons EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on a baking sheet and roast alongside the tomatoes until soft, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Let the tomatoes cool slightly, and then puree them with the basil in a food processor until smooth. Remove the skins from the garlic and puree the sauce with the roasted cloves before transferring the sauce to a bowl.
• When the eggplant has cooled, spoon out the flesh and add it into the cleaned bowl of the food processor along with the ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, egg yolks and some salt and pepper. Puree the mixture until smooth and season with more salt and pepper.
• Ladle one-third of the tomato sauce into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Layer pasta sheets on top, followed by one-half of the eggplant, more pasta sheets, tomato sauce and 1/2 of the mozzarella. Repeat with another layer of pasta sheets, followed by the remaining eggplant, more pasta sheets and the remaining tomato sauce. Top the lasagna with the remaining mozzarella. Bake 1 hour. Let cool 20 minutes before serving.

LASAGNE ROLLS WITH ROASTED TOMATO AND EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Make sauce:
• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 425°F. Oil a 13- by 9-inch or other 3-quart glass or ceramic baking dish and a large shallow baking pan.
• Toss together tomatoes, garlic, 3 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in baking dish, then arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, in 1 layer. Toss eggplant with remaining 3 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in baking pan.
• Roast tomatoes and eggplant, switching position of dish and pan halfway through baking, until tomato skins are wrinkled and beginning to brown and eggplant is golden brown and tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Cool vegetables slightly in dish and pan on racks. (Leave oven on.)
• When tomatoes and garlic are cool enough to handle, transfer to a cutting board (do not clean baking dish). Cut each tomato half lengthwise into 3 pieces and coarsely chop garlic. Transfer to a large bowl, then stir in eggplant and water.
• Make filling and pasta while vegetables for sauce are roasting:
• Stir together all filling ingredients until combined well.
• Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water. Lay noodles flat on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry with paper towels, then cut in half crosswise (you will have 12 noodles).
• Assemble and bake lasagne:
• Move upper oven rack to middle position.
• Spread out half of vegetable mixture in uncleaned baking dish. Lay 4 noodles on a work surface, then spread 3 tablespoons filling evenly over each noodle. Roll up noodles tightly and put rolls, seam sides down and without touching, in vegetable mixture in dish. Make 8 more rolls with remaining noodles and filling in same manner, transferring to dish.
• Lightly brush rolls with water, then spoon remaining vegetables over rolls. Cover dish tightly with foil and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.