Recipes

Eggplant/Zucchini "Lasagna"
you can totally do this recipe with JUST eggplant or JUST zucchini too,
totally versatile.  I think next time I'm going to do just Eggplant..I
really like it!  Nice texture.


2 small eggplants or one large one, sliced into 1/4 inch thick round slices

"weep eggplant" by salting lightly on both sides and layering in a colander with paper towels and placing heavy object on top.  Let sit for at least an hour. 


Heat oven to 350, place slices on a baking sheet coated with cooking
spray.  Sprinkle with a little s/p and bake for about 10 min on each side to
soften.
Sauce:
1 med-large onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
couple pinches salt
1 1/2 lbs ground meat (I used 1/2 ground turkey and 1/2 turkey sausage but
use whatever you like)
1 26 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz (or 2 8 oz) cans no salt added tomato sauce
1 6 oz can no salt added tomato paste
1 TBS Oregano
1 TBS Basil
s/p to taste

8 oz reduced fat mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup parm cheese, divided
fresh basil leaves (about 1/2 cup chopped)

Drizzle small amount EVOO in a pot, and turn on to medium heat.  Add onions
and salt.  Once onions start to release their liquids (about 5 min) add
garlic and reduce heat to low.  Caramelize onions.  (this takes about 25-30
min, be patient.) You don't have to do this step, but it deepens the flavor
of the sauce.
Add meat and turn up heat to brown.  Add oregano and basil while meat is
cooking.  Once browned, add tomatoes, sauce and paste.  Bring mixture to a
boil, stirring frequently.  Reduce heat and cover, simmer for 30 minutes.
Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray and put about 1/4 cup of sauce
on bottom, spreading around.  Layer eggplant overlapping to cover bottom of
pan.  Sprinkle with 1/2 of the both cheeses and 1/2 of basil leaves. Top
with about 1 cup of the sauce, (you want to save most of it for the top.
Repeat layers finishing with the rest of sauce and a sprinkle of parm.
Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes until bubbly. Let it sit about 10 minutes
to solidify.  Cut into 8 equal pieces.