Vegetarian Gluten Free Lasagna

From start to putting this dish into the oven, the preparation time was 1 hour.   After that one hour, the lasagna was in the oven and the dishes were cleaned and put away.  Easy?  Very.  Time consuming?  Depends on how you look at it.  The prep takes about an hour but then you leave the dish to bake for 50 minutes, uncover and ten minutes later, everyone is absolutely dying to dig in. 

This dish is healthy, flavorfully rewarding, meatless, and gluten free.  Enjoy!  serves 10

Ingredients Required.

• 2 Large Eggplant:  Peel and slice lengthwise. Sprinkle with salt and let sit 30 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.

• 4 TBS of Olive oil + 1 TBS to cook the onion (may need more depending on how many batches of eggplant you have to cook.
• 15 oz Part Skim Ricotta Cheese
• 8 oz Low fat Cottage Cheese
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
• 2 TBS Italian Seasoning
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 Medium Onion: chopped
• 2 cloves garlic: minced
• 2 cups Fresh Baby Spinach
• 15 oz  Reduced Sodium Black Beans:  Drain and Rinse
• 15 oz Red Kidney Beans: Drain and Rinse
• 7.75 oz Chick Peas: Drain and Rinse
• 24 oz Pasta Sauce
• 8 oz Mozzarella Cheese: Sliced
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese: Grated

Instructions.

1. Prepare the Eggplant and let sit 30 minutes, salted.   Chop your onion.  Mince your garlic.  Open canned beans, drain and rinse. Slice the mozzarella and grate the Parmesan.  Set all these aside ready to grab as you go. Note:  Using paper plates to put all your preparations on makes for easy clean up.  Just toss the plate away!
2. Mix the ricotta, cottage cheese, salt, pepper, seasoning, and eggs. 
3. Heat 1 TBS olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.  Add the spinach and just cook until it BEGINS to wilt.  Add all the beans and cook about 2 minutes letting the flavors blend.  Remove to a bowl.
4. After 30 minutes, rinse and pat dry the eggplant slices. *I press between sheets of clean paper towel for this.
5. In a large sauté pan (if you use two pans it will reduce prep time and only add a little extra clean up), heat 2 TBS olive oil, over Medium High heat.  You will use 2 TBS oil per batch of eggplant.  Cook about 4 minutes per side.  Remove and drain on paper towel.
6. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Add about 1/3 of the Pasta sauce to the bottom of a large baking dish (about 11 x 13 or 11 x 17 – depending on how much eggplant you have). 
7. Add 1 layer which will be about 1/2 of your eggplant on top of the sauce.  Top with 1/2 of the bean mixture.  Top with 1/2 of the cheese mixture.  Add 1/3 of the sauce.  Add the rest of your beans.  Add the rest of your cheese.  Finish with the last of the eggplant layer.  Top with the rest of your sauce.  Top with the sliced mozzarella. Sprinkle with Parmesan.  Cover and bake for 50 minutes.
8. After 50 minutes, put oven on broil, uncover lasagna, return to oven, under broiler and let the cheese melt, slightly brown for an additional 2 to 4 minutes.  Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. * I made the lasagna early in the day and cooked it for 50 minutes.  I then waited until dinner time before preheating the broiler and finishing it off on top.  It is not as piping hot served this way, however you are able to serve it immediately after removing from broiler.

What is another vegetable you can suggest to use for a gluten free lasagna? 

Joanne