Vegetarian Eggplant Lasagna

So since Lent is starting today (Ash Wednesday), I thought a meatless dish would be an appropriate topic for my post tonight.  I know during lent, I am always looking for new vegetarian/fish dishes to try!  This is really a play on lasagna, and I subbed out the noodles with eggplant.  It still gives you the feel of a cheesy tomatoey Italian dish, but without the carb overdose! It also can totally stand on its own with a nice salad or cut up veggies and does not need to be served with meat!  I hope you all enjoy!

Vegetarian Eggplant Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 Large Eggplant

4 tsp of olive oil

7oz of Ricotta Cheese (a little less than one half of a container)

1 egg

1 Shredded Carrot

1 1/2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

2 cups Tomato Sauce (This recipe is good)

1 cup Sauteed Mushrooms

1 tsp Basil

1 tsp Oregano

Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:  Preheat your oven to 375 F.  Slice the eggplant into thin slices and lightly saute them in the olive oil.  I did this in 4 batches because the eggplant is so big.  (1 tsp of olive oil per batch)  I also salted and peppered each batch before sauteing.

Put a couple of scoops of tomato sauce on the bottom of a baking dish.  Layer half of the eggplant on top of the sauce.  In a separate bowl combine the carrot, 1/2 a cup of mozzarella cheese, egg, ricotta cheese, basil, oregano, and a little bit of salt and pepper.  Spoon this on top of the layer of egg plant and add another layer of sauce.  Add the mushrooms on top of this and layer the remaining eggplant on top of this.  Add the rest of the sauce to the top, and then top with the remaining cup of mozzarella cheese.

Cover this with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the aluminum foil and bake for 20 more minutes and you are ready to enjoy your yummy and healthy lasagna!

Serves 8,  WWPP: 5 per serving