MEATY EGGPLANT LASAGNA
2 eggplants (about 1 1/4 pounds each) *
1/4 cup oil
Salt
1 pound ground beef
2 cups Amy's Marinara Sauce
16 ounces whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated (3 ounces)
Trim the ends off the eggplants. Peel them and slice lengthwise into 1/2" slices. You should get 6-8 long 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 (you may need to do them in two batches). Broil about 3-5 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.
Brown the ground beef and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the marinara sauce and heat through.
Layer everything in a greased 7x9x3" baking dish in this order: 1/3 of the eggplant slices, 1/3 of the sauce, 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat the layering two more times then sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. If you don't have that size baking dish, use a 9x13" baking dish and make 2 layers of each ingredient using half of everything per layer in the same order. Bake at 350º about 30 minute or until the cheese is bubbly.
Makes 8 servings
* I ended up with about 1 pound 15 ounces total after trimming and peeling.
Per Serving: 409 Calories; 29g Fat; 26g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 9g Net Carbs
This is the same recipe as my Eggplant Lasagna but I added ground beef to the marinara sauce. I also used larger eggplants and peeled them this time. My baking dish was VERY full so next time I will probably use a 9x13" baking dish and just make it a thinner lasagna. If you have extra slices of roasted eggplant, just double them up in the final layer to use them all up. Although this is really tasty, I think I liked the meatless version a little better. The flavor of the ground beef seems to cover up the taste of the eggplant too much. Click the photo to see a close-up.