vegetarian lasagne?

Question

ok, my sister just asked me to cook a vegetarian lasagna, which has eggplant in it, ive never really used eggplant, and i was wondering do you cook it with the skin or do you take the skin of, are there seeds or anything inside the eggplant that you have to take out before you cook it, please help asap, thanks guys

ok all who are saying that i should do an alternative to eggplant lasagna, you really should answer the actual question and if you do not know the answer then do not answer it. if i wanted to know an alternative to eggplant lasagna then that would have been my question, on a lighter note thanks to all answers so far the, eggplant is cooking beautifully.

Answer 1

I'm an "Eggplant-oholic", so this question is right up my alley.
There are several ways to prepare this scrumptious fruit. (It's actually not a Vegetable.)
One way of doing it is by "disgorging" the Eggplant first. Okay, that sounds technical and kind of gross. All that means is slicing the Eggplant into rounds, putting salt on it and placing it into a collander with a plate placed on top of it and putting a little weight on. (Some cans from the cupboard should work) After about a half hour, uncover the collander rinse the slices and pat them dry. This is usually done to add a bit of moisture to it and mellow the flavour out. Eggplant absorbs a LOT of cooking oil otherwise.
If you're new to Eggplant, removing the skin by trimming the edges of the slices might be a good idea. Some people get a nasty allergic reaction to the peel.
The seeds are harmless, unless you have Diverticulitis.
Personally I like to fry it cubed in Olive oil, no disgorging or peeling.
It will really eat up the oil, but as the Eggplant cooks and starts browning, it's a major treat!
Hope this helps! :)

Answer 2

You can peel an eggplant if you want to, but its not necessary. Also remember, that most of the nutrients in any vegetable is found in the skin or near the surface, so if you peel it you lose some of those nutrients. It peels fairly easily with a vegetable peeler. For a lasagna, I would slice it and quarter it. And add to the mix some yellow squash and zucchini, cut in half and sliced. Just alternate layers like you would for a regulary lasagne, using any marinara or fresh tomato sauce.

Answer 3

My husband is Italian, and when he makes his incredible Eggplant Parm (which his sister modified and turned into a lasagna), he slices the eggplants (all he takes off is that whole stem area on the top) into medium-thin slices (about 1/2 to 3/4 inch), soaks them in water with tons of salt for a while (half hour or even more to bring out the juices), drains them, then fries them for a short while in a pan full of veggie oil. They turn brownish, and he drains them well, then proceeds to place them in the baking pan in alternate layers with homemade tomato sauce (made with tons of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil), freshly grated parmesan cheese, some fresh basil leaves, and a bit of shredded mozzarella cheese. Here his sister includes layers of lasagna in between all of those (they now sell a barilla lasagna that you don't need to pre-cook). The top layer will have to be parm cheese, so that it makes a nice crust. Next it all goes in the oven for about 35 minutes, then out on the table for your enjoyment.

Of course if you have to make it Vegan instead of just Vegetarian, then you'll probably want to use a substitute soy cheese instead of Moz & Parm.

Answer 4

My mom is a vegetarian she makes lasagna all the time... But she never puts eggplant in it... We eat the 4 Cheese Lasagna. It is the best. Cheddar Cheese, Ricotta, Fetta, Mottarella

Answer 5

I don't normally eggplant - nor do a lot of people.

Here is an alternative veg lasagne
(I'm a meat eater and I still think it is the best lasagne):

LASAGNA WITH ZUCCHINI, RED PEPPER AND MUSHROOMS
Preheat oven to 350 F (180C). 13”x9” (3L) baking dish spray with non-stick vegetable spray
9 pre cooked lasagne noodles
1 tbsp veg oil
1 ½ tsp crushed garlic
1 c chopped zucchini
1 c onion
1 c diced sweet red pepper
1 c sliced mushrooms
2 c tomato sauce
540 mL (19 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 ½ c 2% cottage cheese
½ c 2% milk
½ c grated Parmesan cheese
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
In large nonstick skillet, heat oil; sauté garlic, zucchini, onion, red pepper and mushrooms until softened, approximately 8 minutes.
Add tomatoes, sauce, basil and oregano; cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, in food processor, combine cottage cheese, milk, and Parmesan cheese. Set aside. To assemble, arrange 3 noodles in bottom of baking dish.
Pour 1/3 of sauce over top. Pour half of the cheese mixture over top. Repeat layering once. Top with remaining 3 noodles.
Pour remaining sauce over top; sprinkle with mozza cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until hot. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving

Answer 6

You don't need to take the skin off egg plant unless you don't like it. Do not remove seeds either. Just make thin slices, sprinkle with salt and keep. Use as per the recipe.

Answer 7

Vegetarian Four Cheese Lasagna

"This is a mouth tingling recipe with ricotta, feta, eggplant, tomato, pesto, pumpkin, Parmesan and mozzarella."

Original recipe yield:
1 - 9x13 dish

INGREDIENTS
2 cups peeled and diced pumpkin
1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
5 tomatoes
1 pint ricotta cheese
9 ounces crumbled feta cheese
2/3 cup pesto
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
fresh pasta sheets
1 1/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place pumpkin on a baking sheet and roast in oven until browned and tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grill eggplant on a charcoal grill or fry in a skillet, turning once, until charred and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Halve tomatoes and place on baking sheet in oven for last 15 minutes of pumpkin time; cook until tender and wrinkly.
In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, feta, pesto, eggs, salt and pepper until well mixed. Fold roasted pumpkin into ricotta mixture.
Spoon half of the tomato sauce into a 9x13 baking dish. Lay two pasta sheets over the sauce. Arrange a single layer of eggplant slices over pasta and top with half the ricotta mixture. Cover with two more pasta sheets. Arrange the roasted tomatoes evenly over the sheets and spoon the remaining half the ricotta mixture over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella. Top with remaining two sheets of pasta. Pour remaining tomato sauce over all and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
Bake in preheated oven 30 to 40 minutes, until golden and bubbly.


ROASTED RATATOUILLE LASAGNA (WITH VEGGIES)

A delicious cheesy dish filled with roasted veggies. Yum.

1 eggplant, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
4 tomatoes, halved
1 yellow bell pepper, quartered
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic bulb
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 tbs grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbs chopped basil
1 egg white
1/4 tsp pepper
8 no boil lasagna noodles
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 375°. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Scatter first 5
ingredients on sheet and spray with cooking spray. Wrap garlic in foil. Roast veggies in oven until browned. Roast garlic until softened. Remove from oven, in food processor puree tomatoes and garlic. Chop bell pepper, eggplant, zucchini, and onion. In bowl, combine all veggies, set aside. In bowl, mix ricotta, Parmesan, basil, egg, and pepper. Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Layer vegetable mixture, noodles, and ricotta mixture, over and over until gone. Sprinkle with mozzarella, cover with foil, bake 30 min. Remove foil, bake until
cheese is browned. MAKES 6 SERVINGS.*