Lasagna is probably one of my favorite comfort foods. All those layers of ooey-gooey cheesy meaty goodness are just wonderful. But I'm not a huge fan of pasta, and when there are so many wonderful healthy alternatives with so much more flavor why not take it up a notch! This is one of our absolute favorite meals, especially during harvest season when Matt's mom always gives us fresh eggplant from her garden! It takes a little longer than a standard lasagna, but only because you need to prep the eggplant a bit before you assemble the finished product. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do, it's lower in calories, and you can even omit the meat for an even lighter meal or to have as a side! But really though, can you have TOO much meat?
INGREDIENTS:
1lb ground Venison (I have used Turkey before as well with great success)
2-3 Eggplant (depending on size)
8 oz can Tomato Sauce
1 lb Tomatoes
15oz tub Non-Fat Ricotta
7oz bag Non-Fat Mozzarella (shredded)
Salt
Pepper
2 Tbs dried Basil
2 Tbs Italian Seasoning
Start out by prepping your vegetables. Thinly slice your tomatoes and set them aside on a plate lined with a paper towel; this will help sop-up the extra liquid and make your lasagna less watery. Then trim both ends of your eggplant to get rid of the stems, and slice them thinly LENGTHWISE. Aim for no more than 1/4 inch, less if you can because you can always overlap them in the lasagna if need be. (I have tried using my mandolin slicers before without much luck, the eggplant is just too soft, and in the end a good old fillet knife or sharp kitchen knife and some patience works much better.) Heat your oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Salt and Pepper the eggplant slices to taste and pile them all on the baking sheet, spread out as much as possible. Cook them for around 10 minutes, you're just looking to make them soft and easy to handle, then remove but leave the oven on. While they are cooking brown your venison on the stovetop and drain any excess fat.
Spray a deep baking dish (8x12 is what I usually use) and put down your first layer of eggplant (half of your slices). Follow that with half the tomato sauce, then half the meat, then half the tomato slices. Sprinkle 1 Tbs each of the basil and Italian seasoning on top. Now comes the Ricotta, which is a pain. Do your best to spread half on the tomato slices, I have the best luck dropping little dollops of it everywhere and smooshing them out. Now half the mozzarella. Then, repeat with the remaining half of everything: Eggplant, sauce, meat, herbs, tomatoes, Ricotta, Mozzarella. Now pat yourself on the back.
Bake for 20 minutes, then throw on your broiler for a few minutes to start to brown the cheese on top. Remove from oven and let it sit for a few minutes. Slice and enjoy!
INGREDIENTS:
1lb ground Venison (I have used Turkey before as well with great success)
2-3 Eggplant (depending on size)
8 oz can Tomato Sauce
1 lb Tomatoes
15oz tub Non-Fat Ricotta
7oz bag Non-Fat Mozzarella (shredded)
Salt
Pepper
2 Tbs dried Basil
2 Tbs Italian Seasoning
Start out by prepping your vegetables. Thinly slice your tomatoes and set them aside on a plate lined with a paper towel; this will help sop-up the extra liquid and make your lasagna less watery. Then trim both ends of your eggplant to get rid of the stems, and slice them thinly LENGTHWISE. Aim for no more than 1/4 inch, less if you can because you can always overlap them in the lasagna if need be. (I have tried using my mandolin slicers before without much luck, the eggplant is just too soft, and in the end a good old fillet knife or sharp kitchen knife and some patience works much better.) Heat your oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Salt and Pepper the eggplant slices to taste and pile them all on the baking sheet, spread out as much as possible. Cook them for around 10 minutes, you're just looking to make them soft and easy to handle, then remove but leave the oven on. While they are cooking brown your venison on the stovetop and drain any excess fat.
Spray a deep baking dish (8x12 is what I usually use) and put down your first layer of eggplant (half of your slices). Follow that with half the tomato sauce, then half the meat, then half the tomato slices. Sprinkle 1 Tbs each of the basil and Italian seasoning on top. Now comes the Ricotta, which is a pain. Do your best to spread half on the tomato slices, I have the best luck dropping little dollops of it everywhere and smooshing them out. Now half the mozzarella. Then, repeat with the remaining half of everything: Eggplant, sauce, meat, herbs, tomatoes, Ricotta, Mozzarella. Now pat yourself on the back.
Bake for 20 minutes, then throw on your broiler for a few minutes to start to brown the cheese on top. Remove from oven and let it sit for a few minutes. Slice and enjoy!