EGGPLANT LASAGNA

CHEF MICHEL'S EGGPLANT LASAGNA
2 eggplants (about 14 ounces each)
1/4 cup oil, about
Salt
2 cups Amy's Marinara Sauce (see my update below)
16 ounces whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Trim the ends off the eggplants and slice lengthwise into 1/2" slices. You should get 6 slices from each eggplant. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with oil to coat. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Broil about 5 minutes per side until tender and a little browned. Watch them closely because they can burn quickly. Lightly sprinkle them with salt after removing from the oven.

Layer everything in a greased 7x9x3" baking dish in this order: 4 eggplant slices, 1/3 of the sauce, 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat the layering two more times then sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Bake at 350?about 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Makes 6 servings

Per Serving: 377 Calories; 28g Fat; 20g Protein; 14g Carbohydrate; 4.5g Dietary Fiber; 9.5g Net Carbs

I saw Chef Michel Nischan make this on "Victory Garden" on PBS and it looked delicious and low carb. I left out the fresh herbs and added a lot more cheese to make this a meatless main dish. His recipe called for just 4 ounces of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of parmesan. The amount of sauce wasn't specified but 2 cups seemed about right. After baking it does come out very saucy so if you wanted to save a few carbs, you could use just 1 cup and spread it very thinly between the layers. Michel grilled his eggplant slices but I don't have a stovetop grill. Broiling them worked fine. Here is the link to the original recipe on the PBS site: Eggplant Lasagna.

I always thought that I only liked eggplant that had been breaded and fried but this recipe has changed my mind. I actually think I prefer it unbreaded now. This method was so much easier and a lot less messy too. I loved this dish and will make it again. Click the photo to see a close-up.

Here are the counts that you'd get if you made this with 1 cup of sauce instead of 2 cups:

Per Serving: 363 Calories; 28g Fat; 19g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 7g Net Carbs

UPDATE 11/30/11: I've been making this lately with just 1 cup of marinara sauce and find that it's more than enough. I've also been layering it in a 9x13" pan. It comes out a lot thinner but it's still just as good. I layer it in this order: 1/2 of the eggplant slices, 1/2 of the marinara, about 2/3 of the mozzarella, the rest of the eggplant, the rest of the marinara, the rest of the mozzarella and a good sprinkling of parmesan cheese. I also dusted some of the layers with garlic powder. Oh, and I also peel the eggplant before slicing it. I wasn't crazy about the bits of tough skin.

UPDATE 1/3/14: I've changed my mind about peeling the eggplant. I think that the peel gives it more flavor. But, I do trim the peel from the two slices that would have peel covering one whole side. I cut that bit off before slicing the eggplant.

Also, besides cutting back to one cup of marinara sauce, I make Amy's Marinara Sauce without adding any water to it when I use it in this recipe. That helps a little in keeping the dish from getting too watery. I'm not sure how much this helps, but I've also been spreading all of the sauce on the top layer.

One more trick that works great is to use a paper towel to oil the eggplant before broiling it. I used to use a basting brush but it was a pain in the neck to clean the brush afterward. Now I simply pour some oil into a small bowl and dip a folded paper towel or napkin into it and rub it over both sides of the eggplant slices. A bonus is that oil doesn't get splattered around the kitchen by the basting brush.

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