Eggplant lasagna

Please remember to slice the eggplant thin enough. A thick slice of eggplant makes it chewier. Rinse the eggplant thoroughly to get rid of the excess salt.

The original recipe doesn't have beef crumble, but we add it just to give more protein. We also don't use cottage cheese as recommend in the original recipe and substitute the layer of marinara sauce with tomato-basil sauce.

Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants, sliced into 1/4-inch slices lengthwise
1-2 tbsp. olive oil
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, diced

1/4 cup tomato-basil sauce

half pack of vegetarian beef crumbles

1/2 tsp. sea salt, plus more as needed for the eggplants
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 egg
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
garnish: fresh basil, sliced

Instruction:

1. Generously sprinkle salt over the eggplant slices on both sides and allow to sit for 15 minutes to reduce extra water and bitterness.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
3. Rinse the salted eggplant slices with water and dry thoroughly between two clean towels.
4. Arrange slices on 1-2 baking sheets in an even layer and bake for 13-15 minutes, or until slightly tender and flimsy.
5. Set the eggplant aside and reduce heat to 375 degrees F.
6. In a large skillet, add oil and heat to medium-high heat. Cook garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the baby spinach and toss until wilted, about 3 minutes.
7. In a skillet, add oil and heat the beef crumble.
8. In a large mixing bowl, combine garlic, spinach, parmesan, mozzarella, egg, oregano, 1/2 tsp. sea salt, and pepper.
9. Pour about 1/4 cup of the marinara sauce into the bottom of an casserole baking dish.
10. Add a layer of overlapping eggplant slices to the bottom, just like you would with lasagna noodles. Top eggplant slices with a layer of the tomato sauce, followed by half of the cheese and spinach mixture and half of the beef crumble.
11. Repeat each step a second time until all ingredients are used.
12. Place in the oven and bake for 18-24 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly.
13. Serve immediately with fresh basil.

Find the original recipe here: https://www.tastemade.com/shows/healthy-af/eggplant-lasagna