Roasted Eggplant Lasagna With Broiled Tomato Sauce 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.

ROASTED EGGPLANT LASAGNA WITH BROILED TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush baking sheet with olive oil. Place eggplant pieces on paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt; let stand 20 minutes. Transfer eggplant to prepared sheet. Toss with 2 tablespoons oil. Roast eggplant until tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Set aside. Maintain oven temperature.
• Mix ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, shallots and rosemary in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
• Oil 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce in dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles crosswise in single layer in dish. Spread half of ricotta mixture over noodles. Arrange half of eggplant over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon generous 1 cup sauce over. Arrange half of mozzarella over sauce. Repeat layering 1 more time. Top with 3 lasagna noodles. Spread remaining sauce over. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup Parmesan. Cover tightly with lightly oiled foil. (Can be made 1 day ahead; chill.)
• Bake until noodles are tender and lasagna is heated through, about 45 minutes. Uncover; bake until cheese begins to brown and sauce is bubbling slightly at edges, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

EGGPLANT AND PORTOBELLO (LASAGNAS) WITH ROASTED TOMATO VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange tomatoes and fennel in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Drizzle oil over; toss to blend. Bake until fennel is tender and begins to brown, about 45 minutes. Cool.
• Spray 2 nonstick baking sheets with vegetable oil spray. Arrange eggplant and mushroom slices on prepared sheets. Bake until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes for eggplant slices and 40 minutes for mushrooms. Puree tomato mixture in processor. Transfer to strainer set over bowl. Press on solids to extract liquid; discard solids. Stir vinegar into liquid. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.
• Stir spinach in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray four 1 1/4-cup custard dishes with vegetable oil spray. Line each dish with 2 eggplant slices in crisscross pattern. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top each with 1/4 of spinach. Top each with 1 mozzarella slice. Arrange pepper strips over, then basil and mushrooms. Top with remaining eggplant slices, cutting to fit. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover each dish with foil. (Vinaigrette and lasagnas can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately; chill.)
• Bake lasagnas until very tender, about 25 minutes. Remove foil. Using small knife, cut around vegetables to loosen. Invert onto plates. Spoon vinaigrette over.

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.

ROASTED EGGPLANT LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Place eggplant slices on a wire rack; sprinkle with salt. Let sit until some liquid starts beading on slices, about 20 minutes. Rinse salt off eggplant slices and pat dry. Brush olive oil over both sides of each slice. Arrange eggplant slices on a baking sheet.
• Roast in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Flip eggplant slices and continue roasting until slices are tender and lightly browned, 15 to 20 more minutes. Remove eggplant from oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Mix ricotta cheese, Italian cheese blend, egg, garlic, oregano, thyme, and black pepper together in a bowl.
• Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil. Coat the bottom of the pan with about 1/2 cup tomato sauce; top with 1/2 of the eggplant slices. Layer eggplant slices with 1/2 of the spinach, 1/2 of the ricotta mixture, and 1/2 of the remaining tomato sauce. Continue layering with remaining ingredients, ending with sauce. Top with mozzarella slices. Cover pan with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and continue baking until cheese is brown and bubbling, 5 to 10 more minutes.