I’ve been a bit of an absentee landlord around here recently. For the past two weeks, I’ve been getting hit from all sides with things that had to be handled right away, so my apologies for putting the blog on the back burner. But it did give me an opportunity to highlight some of the recipes I’ve been making for EatClean in case you haven’t had a chance to visit their site. There are some really delicious dishes over there from a number of contributors (in addition to mine!) so check ’em out!
So now back to this dish. I love pretty much everything about lasagna – except the carbs and the “I think I need a nap” feeling I get after eating a generous plate full (is there any other serving size?). Replacing the noodles with layers of thinly sliced eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms and spinach takes care of that issue in quite a tasty and nutritious fashion.
I also have to admit that I’m not a huge fan of ricotta cheese, which you find in almost every traditional lasagna recipe. I think it’s kind of dry and tasteless. So I used feta cheese instead which isn’t as dry and has a LOT more taste in my book. And lastly, I like my lasagna with plenty of extra tomato sauce to slather on top.
For those following Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat To Live program, this recipe complies with the life plan as the cheese will count toward your daily 150 calorie “cheat”. There is no oil used in this recipe and a minimal amount of added salt.
Ingredients (serves 12)
1 medium eggplant (cut into 1/8 inch slices)
2 medium zucchini (cut into 1/8 inch slices)
4 ounces cremini mushrooms (thinly sliced)
3 ounces baby spinach leaves
½ pound feta cheese
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
garnish with chopped parsley or basil
Sauce Ingredients
1 28-ounce cans unsalted tomato puree
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon Italian herbs
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup parmesan cheese
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Thinly slice the eggplant and zucchini with a mandolin, if possible. The cooking time will increase if the vegetables are sliced more thickly.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine all sauce ingredients.
4. In a 15 x 10 baking dish, spread a very thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom.
5. Place a layer of sliced eggplant on top of the sauce. Then spread another very thin layer of tomato sauce on top of the eggplant.
6. Place a layer of sliced zucchini on next, and cover with a very thin layer of tomato sauce.
7. Crumble the feta and spread half of it on top of the zucchini/tomato sauce layer.
8. Place a layer of mushrooms on top, and then spread the spinach leaves over the mushrooms.
9. Spread the remaining tomato sauce on top. Spread the remaining feta cheese on top, as well as a ¼ cup of parmesan cheese.
10. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes.
11. Serve hot and garnish with either chopped parsley or basil.
Leave a Reply