Healthy Eggplant Lasagna Recipe

I actually waited for Daisy this time.

I gotta say, I'm on a roll with this homemade recipe stuff. Here's another recipe I kind of created on my own, based on the cheese mixture recipe I used for the Turkey Casserole I posted a few days ago: No-noodle Eggplant Lasagna. It's 100% PN friendly and so unbelievably good (I have no problem tooting my own horn. It was that good). Who knew cottage cheese could actually not taste like the throw up it resembles? I used my parents as guinea pigs since this was the first time I made this, and turns out they thought it was amazing. I plan on adding more veggies to the tomato sauce next time I make this, like spinach and onions. They tried to eat the whole thing but I needed leftovers for lunch today...totally reasonable. Hit the jump for the recipe and more pics!

No-noodle Eggplant Lasagna with Arugula Side Salad

Ingredients

(Again, I apologize for lack of accurate numbers. I'm a "do it by eye" kinda cook)

1 eggplant, sliced lengthwise about 1/4 in thick

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar of tomato sauce (which ever makes ya happy)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup parsley

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, part skim 

Note: I also used a Six-Cheese Italian Blend...well just because I wanted to.

The directions are pretty simple! Preheat the oven to 375 F. Blend the cottage cheese, ricotta, parsley, mozzarella and egg just like you would for a regular lasagna recipe until almost-smooth. Or you could avoid the my lazy option and simply mix it in a bowl like a normal person. That also works. Some recipes call for roasting the eggplant for like 30 minutes or something but I don't like waiting that long. Instead...saute the eggplant slices in a large skillet with the olive oil until they have a softer texture. I would saute about 4-5 at a time until they were all done. Spread a layer of the tomato sauce in a large baking dish that has been lightly drizzled with olive oil. Next, lay the eggplant slices until the sauce is covered, followed by the cheese mixture. You can either start the next layer of eggplant and ricotta right away, or if you have enough sauce you can layer that first -- either way is perfectly fine! Once all the eggplant slices are used up (or once there is no more room...whichever comes first really), top with the remaning sauce and more mozzarella...and some six-cheese italian blend, if you happen to have some laying around. Bake the whole thing for about 25 minutes and enjoy!!

Note: If you're curious about my side arugula salad: Arugula, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and of course, the six-cheese italian blend. Done.