Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna
April 2008
Instead of frying breaded eggplant in oil, we layered sliced eggplant with lasagna noodles to combine two favorite Italian-American dishes—with less than half the fat, but all the flavor.
Makes: 6 servings
Prep: 55 mins
Cook: 45 mins
- 2 1/2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 small Italian eggplants (about 2 pounds total), cut lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick slices
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
- 2 28 ouncecans diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
- Salt and pepper
- 6 3-by-6 1/2-inch lasagna noodles
- 16 ounces low-fat (1 percent) cottage cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/4cup plus 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees . Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and drizzle 1/2 tablespoon olive oil on each. Place half of the eggplant slices on each pan, turn to coat with the oil, then arrange in a single layer. Bake until tender and lightly browned, about 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat; add the garlic and cook, stirring, until just golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes; bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the noodles, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water.
- Line a 9-inch square baking dish with two 16-inch-long sheets of parchment paper, allowing a few inches of overhang on all sides. Using a food processor, puree the cottage cheese. Add the egg and 1/4 cup parmesan, season with salt and pepper and pulse to combine.
- Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay 2 noodles side by side over the sauce. Layer half of the cottage cheese mixture, half of the eggplant slices and one-third of the mozzarella on top. Spoon 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce over the mozzarella and top with 2 more noodles. Layer with the remaining cottage cheese mixture and eggplant, another third of the mozzarella, 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce and the remaining 2 noodles. Spread the remaining tomato sauce on top and fold in the parchment to cover the lasagna.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil, place on a baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and 2 tablespoons parmesan on top and bake until bubbly, about 10 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.