Eggplant Lasagna

Since I try to cut grains and pasta out of my diet there are a few things I miss....like lasagna.  I do have to admit though that I don't really crave pasta all that much anymore.  I've had eggplant parmesan before and always thought that was pretty tasty and one day I thought I would attempt to make it but wanted a little extra meat and protein and it ended up more like lasagna. 

For a Pan of Eggplant Lasagna:
- 2 medium to large size eggplants
- 3-4 cups of marinara sauce
- 1 pound (maybe a little more) of ground hamburger, pork, turkey, Italian sausage or a combination
- 8 oz Ricotta
- 4 oz Mozzarella
- Salt and Pepper

First I take my eggplants and use my handy dandy mandoline and slice longways to approximately 1/4" thick.  If you don't have one then good luck and I hope you have a sharp knife.  Actually, you could slice into discs and that would be much easier. 

After you slice the eggplant you will want to lay it in a colander or a wire rack and salt to try to draw out some moisture and helps reduce the bitterness for 30-60 minutes.  If crunched for time you could skip this step but your lasagna might turn out a little watery.  Be sure to rinse and pat dry once finished salting.

While you are waiting on the eggplant brown your meat and then add the sauce. Be sure to reserve some sauce for the bottom of the pan and top layer.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Now, it is time to start layering away.  Add a thin layer of sauce to the bottom of your pan and then layer in the eggplant, meat sauce, and ricotta.  The again with the eggplant, meat sauce, and ricotta.  Then finish with one more layer of eggplant, sauce (or if you are like me, you forget to reserve just sauce and it's another layer of meat sauce...not that that is a bad thing) and mozzarella.

Then, cover with foil and pop into the oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Uncover for the last 10 minutes of cooking and wallah!  Give it a few minutes to cool and then cut and enjoy!