Recipe: No-Lasagna Lasagna

No Lasagna Lasagna

Recent excesses have driven us back into the clutches of the wily Dr. Ludwig. Fortunately, there are plenty of tasty dishes that follow the low-carb precepts of his Always Hungry diet. No-Lasagna Lasagna, in which eggplant slices take the place of the pasta sheets, is a good example. Vary the ingredients according to what’s on hand; the only mandatories are the eggplant and a good tomato sauce fortified with extra tomato paste. Makes 6-8 main dish servings.

Ingredients:
1 eggplant, about 1 ½ lb
Kosher salt (maybe 1 t total)
Olive oil
1 lb Italian sausage
Lots of garlic, maybe 8 cloves, chopped
½ pound mushrooms, sliced
¼ c green pepper, diced
½ c parmesan cheese, or more if you like
1 ½ c good tomato sauce (marinara, primavera etc)
½ can (3 oz) tomato paste
1 t dried oregano
1 t fennel seed

Method: peel the eggplant, slice into rounds ¾ inch thick, salt each side and rub it in so the surfaces are thoroughly coated. Stand the slices in a colander over a sink or plate so they can drain the liquid produced. Crumble the sausage into a skillet and sauté, along with the garlic, until the sausage loses its pink center. Reserve. Drain the eggplant slices, pat dry with paper towel and sauté using very little oil till both sides are lightly crisped and the eggplant is tender.

Assemble the dish in a 9” square baking pan. Mix tomato paste and sauce, adding a bit of water if it is too thick to pour, then coat the bottom of the dish. Make a layer of eggplant then add sausage, mushroom, green pepper, spices and half the cheese. Add a second eggplant layer, pour over the rest of the sauce and top with the remaining cheese. Bake in a 375 degree oven 35 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is nicely crisped. Serve hot, with a garnish of chopped parsley if you like.