Chef Lane: No Noodle Lasagna

I’m working out how to utilize all the produce from my Bountiful Basket order.  First up, today, was the eggplant.  I had an idea of what I wanted to do with it, but when I started to work, I realized that the bottom quarter of the plant was not usable.  So, I switched gears and turned it into a lasagna.

No pictures again, but this time because it smelled so good I kind of dove into it before I thought to take any.

You will need:

• 1 small eggplant
• 1 small sweet onion
• 3 leaves of fresh basil (or dried)
• 1/2lb of ground lamb
• 1/4 cup egg beaters
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 cup pasta sauce of your choice
• 1 tsp Garlic Paste
• 1tsp Cilantro Paste
• salt & pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat oven to 350
2. Slice eggplant into paper thin rounds.
3. Dredge the rounds in egg (I added a dash of salt to the egg), then coat with bread crumbs.
4. Place the coated eggplant on a cookie tray and bake at 350 for 10 minutes, turning the rounds halfway through.
5. Remove from oven and set aside.
6. Finely chop basil leaves.
7. Slice onion into thin rounds.
8. Leave half in rounds, and finely chop the other half.
9. Mix garlic, cilantro, and chopped onion into lamb, then brown in skillet on stovetop. While meat is browning, add half the basil leaves.
10. In a small casserole dish, pour a small amount of pasta sauce and cover bottom of dish. Layer the bottom with the baked eggplant rounds. Add a layer of onion rounds. Use half the goat cheese and create a cheese layer.
11. Pour in the entire meat mixture for the next layer.
12. Cover with a layer of pasta sauce
13. Add the rest of the goat cheese and cover layer.
14. Cover with the rest of the eggplant rounds and the rest of the pasta sauce
15. Top with parmesan cheese and the remaining basil.
16. Cook at 350 for 35 minutes.

This makes about 6 heaping 1/2 cup servings, and works out to the following per serving numbers (according to MyFitnessPal):

• 253 calories
• 17 carbs
• 15 fat
• 14 protein
• 4 fiber

Thor ate his up!  This means I got eggplant, onion, basil and cilantro into the boy without his knowing it.  Yay!