I missed the veggie of the week post last week due to the holiday I did make a wonderful dish to make it up to you! This week we are on E and I decided to do an eggplant dish. I had not ever used eggplant in cooking and was pleasantly surprised. It had a great flavor and was not as hard to prepare as I had previously heard.
Native to South East Asia eggplant is grown in tropical climates as a garden vegetable and is a staple in many middle eastern countries. It comes in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors including purple, black, white and striped. Eggplant is available in the US year round but is best eaten August-October when they are at their peak. Eggplants are part of the night shade family which include tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. Eggplants are a nutrient dense food containing over 80 nutrients, it contains high amounts of B vitamins and potassium.
Eggplant Lasagana
You can either make a sauce or use a pre-made one like Classico Tomato Basil which is what I did it makes this recipe simple! Heat up the sauce and add a few leaves fresh torn basil, this will make is taste homemade. In a hot skillet scramble 2 eggs and add to the sauce. I know this sounds wierd but trust me when I say that this makes the recipe. It actually seems like cheese when its all put together not to mention another way to get some extra protein!
Slice 2 eggplants to about a 1/4 inch thickness and about 6 roma tomatoes thinly, put on sheet pans and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes crank up the heat to 450 and roast an additional 10 minutes or until the veggies are fork tender.
Make a layer of eggplant on the bottom of a cassarole dish, follow by adding a layer of your roasted tomatoes. add about 1/2 C of sauce and add 1# cooked ground beef, next add a layer of fresh or frozen drained spinach top with another 1/2 C of sauce. Over that add another layer of the tomatoes and end with a layer or the eggpant. Add the remaining sauce and bake covered for 1 hour in a 350 degree oven, it is best to let is set for an hour before serving to insure the layers stay together.
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