Notes: If you're in a hurry, just use your favorite jarred sauce. But if you have the time, the homemade version is easy to do!
Maybe you're surprised by the appearance of mint on the herbs list? You shouldn't be! Mint is under-used in savory dishes and it goes great with eggplant.
I used to think that you had boil lasagna noodles like you boiled other pasta, but really there's no need. You just need them to be pliable. If you cook them all the way, you lose the texture when you put them in the oven. It's also way harder to layer them when you need to assemble everything---they just fall apart.
I know those no-boil lasagna noodles are all the rage, but honestly? They aren't very good. They don't stand up to a hearty lasagna. And they have a weird taste.
Lasagna is a great make-ahead dish. You can roast the veggies and put the ricotta mixture together earlier in the day and just keep them in the fridge until dinner time. I'd take them out while your pasta water is coming to a boil so that they're closer to room temperature. You can also assemble the whole lasagna and put the baking dish in the fridge! Make sure you let it sit out for 30 minutes before you put it in the hot oven.
Ingredients:
1 normal-sized eggplant
1 package of mushrooms (white or baby bella)
1 small onion
1 15 oz. package of ricotta
1 mozzarella ball
Approx. 28 oz of marinara sauce (homemade recipe to follow)
1 egg
1 box of lasagna noodles
2 tablespoons each of chopped fresh basil, fresh parsley, fresh oregano, fresh mint
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Directions: Heat the oven to 400.
Start with your marina sauce if you're making your own (recipe follows). If not, roast your vegetables. De-stem the mushrooms and slice them. Dice the eggplant in 1-inch pieces. Slice the onion thick. Put everything on a sheet tray, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Roast them for 15-20 minutes until soft and starting to brown. Set aside and drop the oven temperature down to 375.
In a mixing bowl, beat the egg and then add the ricotta and fresh herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Stir everything together until well combined. Put the bowl in the fridge while you do other things.
In a large pot, bring water to just below a boil. Add salt and then put in your lasagna noodles. Let them cook until they're pliable, use tongs to gently separate them in the pot. Slice your mozzarella ball (keep the slices kind of thin).
When the noodles are done, ladle about a cup of marinara sauce into a 9x13 baking dish. Put four noodles in the dish. Top them with 1/3 of the ricotta mixture. Top that with 1/3 of the eggplant mixture. Top with another cup of sauce. Repeat the layers until the veggies and ricotta are used up. Put four noodles on top and pour the remaining sauce over them. Put slices of mozzarella on top.
Cover with foil and bake for between 30-40 minutes until it's all bubbly and the noodles have expanded. Take the foil off and bake for 5-10 more minutes until the mozzarella starts to brown. Remove from the oven and wait about 7-10 minutes before you cut into it. Serve and enjoy!
Easy marina sauce
Ingredients:
1 small onion
5-6 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons each of chopped fresh basil, fresh oregano, fresh parsley
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Directions: In a skillet or sauce pan on medium, sauté the onion in a few tablespoons of olive oil until it's tender and starting to brown (about 10-15 minutes). Add in the garlic and cook 5 more minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir. Add in the herbs and pour in the crushed tomatoes. Stir everything together. If it looks a little thick, add just a bit of water. Turn the heat to low and let the sauce simmer, stirring occasionally, for as long as you have--the longer the better.
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