Eggplant Lasagna Guest Post

Friends, this post makes me 100% excited because my good friend M.E. has submitted this awesome recipe!  Check it out!  Thanks, M.E.!

Thank you, Mary, for letting me guest-post on Cooking on Call. I have always enjoyed cooking and trying out new recipes. As a recent college graduate, I focus on making dishes that are easy to make and great for more than just one meal.  

Happy cooking!

M.E.

Eggplant Lasagna

This recipe is great for multiple reasons. First, prep time is minimal (less than 10 minutes of you have already cooked your ground meat). Second, it can be adjusted to suit your dietary needs/personal taste preferences. Whether you are vegetarian, gluten-free, or simply trying a new twist on lasagna, this is a recipe that will satisfy anyone and is also great for leftovers.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

1 24 oz. jar of your favorite tomato/marinara sauce

1 cup of pre-shredded cheese (I used cheddar, but you can use whichever cheese is your favorite)

1 lb. of ground meat, cooked on a skillet (you can use any type of ground meat you have. I used ground turkey. For a vegetarian option, you can substitute diced zucchini and squash)

4 oz. of cracker barrel cheese (1/2 of the sticks you find at your local grocery store), or your choice of block cheese (I used Vermont white)

Directions:

1)    Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a casserole dish with either cooking spray or butter

2)    Measure out your pre-shredded cheese into a bowl and grate your cracker barrel cheese over the bowl. Once the cheese is grated, lightly toss the cheese so the two are mixed

3)    Thinly slice your eggplant lengthwise, and cover the bottom of the casserole dish with your eggplant slices

4)    Pour about 1/3 of the sauce, 1/3 of the ground meat , and 1/3 of your cheese on top of the eggplant

5)    Put another layer of eggplant slices on top (this layer does not have to be as tightly spaced as the bottom layer)

6)    Repeat step 4

7)    Use your last eggplant slices on the lasagna and put the last layer of meat, sauce, and cheese (in that order) on top

8)    Cover your lasagna in aluminum foil and place on the middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes.

9)    After 30 minutes, remove the foil and put the lasagna in the oven for an additional 30 minutes. This dish can be served hot, and it can be refrigerated or frozen for leftovers. Enjoy!

Looks amazing, right?  Eggplant for the win!