VEGETARIAN LASAGNE

“Once again, my life has been saved by the miracle of lasagna.” – ‘Garfield’ (Jim Davis)
 

Although we had a taste of Spring last week, the cold, wet and gray weather returned just in time of the weekend… So here’s a hearty vegetarian dish for the last few days of winter here in Melbourne. It is also a good one for election night, seeing how we are choosing the new government on Saturday September 7…
 

Eggplant Lasagne
Ingredients
 

1 tbs olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
660ml tomato pasta sauce
125ml water
3 large eggplant, cut crossways into 3mm-thick slices
2 tsp salt
Olive oil spray
375g fresh lasagne sheets
2 eggs, lightly whisked
300g coarsely grated mozzarella
30g coarsely grated parmesan
Mixed salad leaves, to serve
 

Method
Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt. Set aside for 30 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain well.
 

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until soft. Add the pasta sauce and water. Reduce heat to low. Cook for 30 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
Preheat a sandwich toasting press. Dry eggplant slices with paper towel. Spray one-fifth of eggplant slices with olive oil spray. Cook in sandwich press for 7 minutes or until golden. Repeat, in 4 more batches, with olive oil spray and remaining eggplant.
 

Preheat oven to 180°C. Spread a little of the sauce over the base of a 2.5L capacity baking dish. Place one-quarter of the lasagne sheets, cutting to fit, on top. Top with one-quarter of the eggplant. Drizzle over a little egg. Top with one-quarter of the mozzarella, one-quarter of the remaining sauce and one-third of the parmesan. Continue layering with the remaining lasagne sheets, eggplant, egg, mozzarella, sauce and parmesan, finishing with sauce.
 

Cover the dish with foil. Bake for 35 minutes. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool. Serve with mixed salad leaves.
 
This post is part of the Food Friday meme,
and also part of the Food Trip Friday meme.