Check out this tasty recipe from the K. Parris kitchens!
(Photo courtesy of Women’s Day)
Eggplant Lasagna with Fresh Marinara Sauce
For the Eggplant Lasagna:
1 large eggplant, sliced ¼ inch thick
1 ½ cups whole wheat or spelt flour
3 egg whites
½ cup fat free half and half
Kosher salt
Cracked black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb. Italian turkey sausage, casing removed
1 ½ cups shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
1 cup sliced low fat mozzarella cheese
1 ½ cups skim ricotta cheese
2 tsp dried oregano
1 egg
½ cup grated parmesan
2 cups Fresh Marinara Sauce
Directions:
1. Combine egg whites, fat free half & half, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper.
2. Heat a sauté pan to medium high heat. Add olive oil.
3. Dredge sliced eggplant first in egg white/milk mixture, then in flour. Do this twice for each piece.
4. Pan fry slices until golden brown and crisp. Be careful not to overcook! Place on paper towels to drain.
5. Remove any excess bread crumbs remaining behind in your sauté pan and cook your sausage, crumbling it into smaller pieces as it cooks.
6. Add the marinara sauce to the cooked sausage. Set aside.
7. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
8. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, dried oregano, a pinch of salt and pepper, grated parmesan and half the shredded mozzarella.
9. In a 13 x 9 Pyrex dish, layer the bottom with the sausage and marinara sauce mixture, followed by the eggplant slices, a layer of the ricotta mixture, and the mozzarella slices. Continue to layer until you reach the top. Your last layer should be the sausage and marinara sauce.
10. Cover the top of your lasagna with the reserved shredded mozzarella. Cover pan with either non stick foil or foil sprayed with non stick spray and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover after 30 minutes and bake for 7 minutes more.
For the Sauce:
8 plum tomatoes
3 fresh basil leaves
1 sprig of fresh oregano, leaves removed from stem
1 sprig of fresh thyme, leaves removed from stem
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt
Cracked black pepper
1 cup tomato juice or V8
1 tsp honey (optional)
¼ cup tomato paste (optional)
Directions:
1. Start with a pot of simmering water and an ice water bath. Take your tomatoes and score the bottom with a small ‘x’ and remove the stem from the top.
2. Place scored tomatoes in the simmering water and watch carefully. Remove when the skin starts to break away from the tomato, about 3 minutes.
3. Remove and place tomatoes in the ice bath to cool. Once cooled, peel off the skin, cut in half, and remove the seeds.
4. In a blender, lightly puree the herbs, tomatoes, tomato juice and seasoning to taste. Add a splash of honey if you find that the tomatoes are not naturally sweet.
5. In a saucepan, add pureed ingredients and a teaspoon of tomato paste (optional) and let simmer for a half hour. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
We posted this TwitPic to our Twitter account of our dish…
Tell us how yours came out!! Tweet us at @graegram! Be sure to tag it #graegramfood !
K. Parris Catering and Personal Chef Service, LLC, is an off-premise catering company specializing in French influenced Caribbean cuisine for the elegant yet trendy urban professional. They offer full service event planning, catering, and personal chef services tailored to family friendly as well as urban chic events. For more information, visit her website, or check out her food and spirits blog, “Confessions of an Ex-Foodie”.
