Culinary Circle

This morning we had our Director of Culinary Services Sheila, and Kathy came and do a food presentation for us. She showed the clients how to make Eggplant Lasagna with no salt being that we all need to watch our salt intake, we were all kind of hesitate at first thinking WHAT NO SALT?! There is no way that this can be good and on my goodness it was the best thing we had ever tasted! I would definitely make it for my family. It was a very easy dish to put together. Everyone should try it! We all had a great time learning how to make it, Thanks again Sheila and Kathy!

Eggplant Lasagna

Serves 6; 4x4-inch piece per serving
If you can, prepare this hearty lasagna a day ahead. Its flavors will be enhanced, plus all you'll need to do for dinner is toss a salad and make a quick fruit dessert while the casserole bakes.
Ingredients
Vegetable oil spray
6 dried lasagna noodles
3 cups chopped peeled eggplant
1 medium green bell pepper diced
1 large onion chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves or 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried crumbled
3 medium garlic cloves minced
2 8-ounce cans no-salt-added tomato sauce
2 teaspoons low-sodium Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
1 cup fat-free or low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 12x8x2-inch glass baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Set aside.
In a large stockpot, prepare the noodles using the package directions, omitting the salt and oil. Drain well.
Meanwhile, lightly spray a large nonstick skillet with vegetable oil spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Cook the eggplant, bell pepper, onion, dried basil (if using fresh basil, add with the tomato sauce), and garlic for 10 minutes, or until the eggplant is soft, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium if the mixture starts sticking to the skillet.
Add the tomato sauce, fresh basil if using, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and fennel seeds. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the sauce has slightly thickened and the bell pepper is soft. Remove from the heat.
To assemble, lay 2 noodles lengthwise in the baking dish. Spread a scant 1 cup eggplant mixture over the noodles. Spread 1/3 cup cottage cheese over the eggplant. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup mozzarella. Repeat the layers twice, ending with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella. Tuck in the ends of the noodles if overhanging. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with the Parmesan. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes to let the cheese melt and make cutting easier.
Cook's Tip
When using fairly small amounts of cheese on top of a casserole, cover the dish with aluminum foil during the baking period to prevent the cheese from overcooking and drying out. Run the casserole under the broiler for a few seconds if you want to brown the cheese lightly.
Nutrition Analysis (per serving)
230Calories
4.5 gTotal Fat
2.5 gSaturated Fat
0.0 gTrans Fat
0.5 gPolyunsaturated Fat
1.0 gMonounsaturated Fat
15 mgCholestrol
351 mgSodium
34 gCarbohydrates
5 gFiber
10 gSugar
15 gProtein
231 mgCalcium
573 mgPotassium
Dietary Exchanges
1 1/2 starch, 2 vegetable, 1 lean meat