Roasted Eggplant Lasagna

I discovered eggplant last year, became obsessed with it for two months and then totally forgot about it.

The purple vegetable started callin’ my name again at the grocery store on Sunday, so I nabbed one to use in tonight’s roasted eggplant lasagna. (The recipe I followed calls this dish roasted eggplant Parmesan, but Ryan and I agreed that it tastes much more like lasagna.)

Fortunately a good portion of this recipe can be prepared ahead of time, so I prepped the majority of this dinner before I left for work this morning.

The extra effort in the a.m. made dinner tonight super easy. While the roasted eggplant Parmesan baked, Ryan and I met with our future landlord down the street to officially sign our new lease!

We came home to an apartment that smelled delicious. 

 When I followed the recipe (which you can find at the end of this post), I cut everything in half since Ryan and I were the only ones eating it. We split it right down the middle!

 For dessert I enjoyed two fudgesicles.

 As I was snapping a photo, Sadie jumped in to try to get a lick.

 Instead she got a scolding. Dogs + Chocolate = BAD.

 

Roasted Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplants (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup ricotta cheese
¾ cup mozzarella (divided)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped basil
1½ cups marinara sauce (divided)
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 450°F. Trim stems and ends from eggplant and peel, leaving several 1-inch wide strips of peel intact. Cut the eggplant lengthwise into ½-inch thick slices and place in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Rinse the eggplant under cool water, drain thoroughly and pat dry. Toss the slices in the olive oil and place on 2 baking sheets. Bake 20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool. Reduce oven heat to 350°F.

In a small bowl, combine ricotta cheese, ½ cup mozzarella cheese, parsley and basil. In an 8 x 8 baking dish, spread ½ cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of the pan. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the dish and spread ½ cup of the cheese mixture on top; repeat, layering 2 more times. Top with remaining (1 cup) marinara sauce and sprinkle the remaining (¼ cup) mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese on top. Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes; remove aluminum foil and bake another 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly golden brown. Cool slightly and serve.

Here’s the part you can do ahead:

Cover the unbaked roasted eggplant Parmesan with aluminum foil and refrigerate up to 24 hours. You may need to bake covered 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbly. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes or until slightly golden brown.