Triple Cheese Aubergine Lasagne Recipes

EGGPLANT LASAGNA RECIPE

Steps:

• Season the eggplant slices on both sides with kosher salt and set aside for 20 to 30 minutes (if you don't have the time, this step can be optional).
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and position a rack in the middle.
• Wipe the eggplant slices very well with a paper towel (you want to dry it well and remove any excess salt), then arrange on lightly oiled baking sheet (or two if needed). Brush the top of the eggplant with extra virgin olive oil. Roast in the heated oven until the eggplant softens and becomes pliable (about 15 to 20 minutes or so).
• While the eggplant is roasting, prepare the ricotta filling. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg. Add the ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, ¼ Parmesan, garlic, oregano, spinach and chopped herbs. Add a small pinch of kosher salt and black pepper to your liking. Mix well to combine.
• Remove the eggplant from the oven. Lower the heat to 375 degrees F.
• Prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Pour a bit of the pasta sauce (about ½ cup or so) and spread it out into one layer. Lay a few eggplant slices (anywhere from 4 to 6 and it's fine if they overlap a bit). Spread 1/2 of the ricotta filling, then spread a thin layer of the sauce. Repeat the process in the same pattern. Spread the final layer of sauce and follow with the remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup of Parmesan.
• Cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake in the heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, then carefully uncover and return to the oven. Bake for another 10 to 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the edges of the lasagna turn a nice golden brown.
• Let the lasagna rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

FIRE-ROASTED FIERI LASAGNA

Steps:

• 1.To prepare the ragu, place the tomatoes in a food processor and pulse until chunky. Set aside.
• 2.In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the carrots and onion and cook until the onion is translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the ground beef, sausage, and pepperoni and season with the salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the meat is browned all over, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat as it cooks. Add the tomato paste and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until fragrant.
• 3.Dust the flour over the mixture and stir well to combine. Stir in the reserved tomatoes, basil, marjoram, oregano, black pepper, and chili flakes. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Using a large spoon, skim off any oil that accumulates on the surface. (The ragu can be prepared 2 to 3 days ahead of time; store it in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to use.)
• 4.To prepare the lasagna, in a large stockpot over medium-high heat, bring 2 gallons of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of the salt. Add the lasagna noodles and stir gently to separate. Cook the lasagna noodles until al dente, 8 to 9 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice water. When the noodles are done, drain them, then plunge them immediately into the ice water for 30 seconds to stop the cooking process. Drain and spread the noodles on a rack.
• 5.In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, half of the Parmesan, the egg, nutmeg, and pepper. Mix well to combine and set aside.
• 6.In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, spinach, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Saute the spinach until tender and wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and pour off any liquid. Transfer the spinach to a clean kitchen towel and twist it into a ball to squeeze out any excess moisture. Set aside.
• 7.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Have ready a heavy 10 x 14 x 3-inch lasagna pan.
• 8.To assemble the lasagna, ladle 1 cup of the ragu into the bottom and around the sides of the pan. Arrange several lasagna noodles on top of the sauce, slightly overlapping them to create an even layer that completely covers the ragu. Spread 2 cups of the ragu over the lasagna noodles, followed by one-third of the ricotta mixture, one-quarter of the mozzarella, and one-third of the spinach.
• 9.Arrange more noodles on top, overlapping to cover the spinach. Spread 2 cups ragu over the noodles, followed by half of the remaining ricotta, one-third of the mozzarella, and half of the spinach. Arrange more noodles on top. Spread 2 cups ragu over them, followed by the remaining ricotta, half of the remaining mozzarella, and the remaining spinach. Arrange more noodles on top. Spread the remaining ragu on top and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan and the basil, marjoram and oregano.
• 10. Cover the pan with heavy-grade plastic food wrap (or parchment paper), then wrap the whole pan tightly with aluminum foil. Place the pan on a baking sheet (to catch any drips) in the center of the oven. Bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil and plastic food wrap and bake for 20 minutes longer, until well browned around the edges and bubbling. Finish under the broiler if necessary. Cool for 20 minutes before serving.

MARY BERRY'S MELANZANE PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Grease a 2.5 litre/4½ pint ovenproof dish with butter and line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
• Arrange the aubergine slices in a single layer on the prepared trays. Drizzle over the oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes turning the slices over halfway through the cooking time. Set aside.
• Lay the pasta sheets in a dish and cover with hot water for 10 minutes to soften.
• To make the béchamel sauce, heat the butter in a saucepan. Once melted, sprinkle in the flour and whisk for a few minutes over a high heat to form a roux. Pour the warmed milk into the roux and whisk. Bring to the boil, whisking for a few minutes until smooth. Add the mustard and two-thirds of the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and stir. Set aside.
• To make the tomato sauce, put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
• To assemble, spoon a third of the tomato sauce in the base of the prepared dish, top with a third of the béchamel. Arrange a third of the aubergines on top and 3-3½ sheets of lasagne (you may need to break the lasagne into pieces to make it fit in an even layer). Repeat so you have three layers of sauce and two layers of pasta, sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.
• Leave to stand for 1 hour before cooking, or overnight.
• Bake for 35-45 minutes until golden-brown and bubbling. Stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve hot with garlic bread.

OUR FAVORITE LASAGNA WITH SAUSAGE, SPINACH, AND THREE CHEESES

Steps:

• Preparation:
• Position the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
• Make the sauce:
• In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the sausage, onion and 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, breaking up sausage with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic, red-pepper flakes, and tomato paste; cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes more. Add tomatoes (along with their juice) and oregano; bring to a simmer, and cook, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon until in small pieces, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more red-pepper flakes if desired.
• Make the filling:
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine all of the filling ingredients and process until mostly smooth.
• Assemble the lasagna:
• Squeeze the spinach in a paper towel or clean dishcloth until very dry. Transfer to a bowl and season with a pinch of salt.
• Coat baking dish with cooking spray and spread the bottom with 2 cups sauce. Top with a layer of three noodles, then a third of the ricotta mixture (about 1 1/3 cups), and a third of the spinach (about 2/3 cup). Sprinkle with 1 cup grated mozzarella.
• Repeat twice more, skipping the mozzarella on the third layer. Top the lasagna with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 2 cups mozzarella in clusters so some of the sauce peeks through.
• Place the baking pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Lightly spray a piece of foil with cooking spray, cover the lasagna, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until lightly browned and bubbly, about 20 minutes more. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
• DO AHEAD: The sauce can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated. The filling can be prepared up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated.

TRIPLE-CHEESE EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) PARMIGIANA

Steps:

• If you're a fan of salting eggplant to remove possible bitterness, proceed.
• I try to purchase the youngest, freshest eggplant I can and skip that step, finding that it actually seems to contribute to the eggplant's ability to soak up oil.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mix the ricotta, mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese.
• Mix in egg and basil.
• In a large skillet, quickly saute eggplant in 4 tablespoons.
• of olive oil, browning each side.
• Repeat with remaining eggplant slices; add more olive oil if necessary.
• In a 9x13 inch baking dish, spread 1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce.
• Arrange a single layer of eggplant slices on top of the sauce.
• Top eggplant with half of the cheese mixture.
• Repeat layering until all of the eggplant slices and cheese mixture are used.
• Pour the rest of the marinara sauce on top of the layered dish, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese (and some extra mozzarella, if you like).
• Bake until sauce is bubbly, about 30 to 45 minutes.

AUBERGINE PARMIGIANA LASAGNE

Steps:

• For the sauce, heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and fry the garlic for 1 min until golden. Add the sugar and vinegar, simmer for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes. Season with salt and return to a simmer. Bubble for 10 mins, then remove from the heat and set aside. Can be prepared up to two days ahead and chilled.
• Heat a griddle or large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Brush the aubergine slices on both sides with the olive oil and season with a little salt, then griddle in batches until the slices are softened and slightly charred (ensure the heat isn't too high or the aubergine will char before it softens). Transfer the cooked slices to a plate as you go.
• To assemble, lay a third of the aubergine slices over the base of a rectangular or square gratin dish, then pour over a third of the sauce. Scatter with a small handful of both cheeses (you'll want to keep most of the cheese for the top) and half the basil, then top with half the lasagne sheets. Repeat once more, then finish with a final layer of aubergines topped with the rest of the sauce. Scatter over the remaining cheese. After leaving to cool completely, the dish can be covered and chilled for up two days or frozen for up to three months. Defrost fully before cooking.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the dish on a baking tray and bake for 30 mins until the cheese is golden and the sauce is bubbling at the edges. Leave to cool for at least 10 mins, then scatter with the reserved basil and serve. The cooked lasagne will keep frozen for up to three months, covered with foil. Defrost thoroughly, uncover and bake as stated above. Or to cook from frozen, bake at 180C/160C fan/gas 4 for 40 mins. Remove the foil, turn the oven up to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and bake for a further 30 mins.