Try this recipe, or contribute your own.
- 2 eggs
- salt and pepper
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 green onions chopped
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
- 2 large eggplants peeled sliced lengthwise into 1/4 inch noodle-like strips
- cooking spray (olive oil spray is best)
- 1 1 ⁄2 lbs ground sirloin or 1 1&frasl 2 lbs turkey breast or 1 1⁄2 lbs italian sausage
- 3 cloves chopped garlic
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 1 (16 ounce) package sliced mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons italian seasoning (or mix of oregano basil and thyme)
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed (optional)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (if you dare!) (optional)
- 1 cup red wine (optional) or 1 cup vodka (optional)
- 1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce (or large jar sugar free sauce if you
- 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes (for less sugar 3 chopped roma tomatoes)
- 2 cups low-fat ricotta cheese
- 3 cups shredded lowfat mozzarella cheese
- 1 ⁄2 cup parmesan cheese
- Carbohydrate 20.375125 g
- Cholesterol 20.29 mg
- Fat 6.36095000036183 g
- Fiber 6.17850014746189 g
- Protein 10.425 g
- Saturated Fat 3.39557500004996 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Units US (316g)
- Sodium 133.872018229174 mg
- Sugar 14.1966248525381 g
- Trans Fat 0.427676250009799 g
- Calories 172 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Spray cookie sheet, arrange eggplant slices and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook slices 5 minutes on each side.
- Lower oven temp to 375.
- Brown meat, onion and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes.
- Add red pepper and mushrooms, and cook 5 minutes.
- Add spinach, tomatoes, tomato sauce, spices and wine and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Blend ricotta, egg and onion mixture.
- Spread 1/3 of meat sauce in bottom of 9†x 13†glass pan.
- Layer ½ eggplant slices, ½ ricotta, 1/3 mozzarella and parmesan.
- Repeat.
- Add last layer of sauce, then mozzarella and parmesan on top.
- Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.
- Remove foil and bake or broil another 5-10 minutes until cheese is browned.
- Let it rest 10 minutes before slicing, if you can wait that long!
Standard recipes rarely warn cooks about the high water content of nightshades, a variable that dictates whether a casserole holds its structure or pools into liquid on the plate. Roasting the sliced eggplant strips at a high temperature of 425 degrees before assembly evaporates excess moisture and concentrates the vegetable's natural sugars, transforming limp slices into sturdy structural sheets. Because slicing the eggplant uniformly to a quarter-inch thickness ensures even cooking times across the cookie sheet, using a sharp chef's knife or a mandoline is vital for success. Simmering the meat sauce with wine, tomatoes, and spices for five to ten minutes reduces the liquids further, preventing steam from accumulating inside the baking dish during the final hour in the oven. When working with ground sirloin, turkey breast, or Italian sausage interchangeably, the fat content will shift noticeably, requiring adjustments to the initial olive oil amount in the pan so the meat browns rather than stews. Blending the ricotta with raw eggs creates a stabilized custard layer that coagulates upon heating, binding the interior cheeses firmly between the vegetable strips. Resting the hot dish for ten minutes before cutting allows the internal starches and proteins to relax, a crucial window that lets each portion retain its shape when lifted with a spatula.
