Vegetable Lasagna

Lasagna is pretty much the definition of comfort food.  Usually comfort food comes with a connotation of being bad for you.  However, sometimes it's possible to make a comfort food that's actually not all that bad for you.

I will preface this post by stating that I normally do not even look at recipes by Rachael Ray because, frankly, I can't stand the woman.  Her personality irritates me and I've heard on several occasions from friends and strangers, that she is just not nice in person.

I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest, and it happened to be one of hers, so I put down the hater-ade, adapted it a little, and made it, and it really was one of the most delicious creations I've ever cooked.  I ate it for lunch and dinner for an entire week.

Ingredients:

• 2 Medium Eggplants
• 2 Medium Zucchini
• 4 tsp. Minced Garlic
• 1 c. Ricotta Cheese
• 1 c. Reduced Fat Ricotta Cheese
• 2 c. Freshly Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (leftover from my risotto!)
• 1 lb. Fresh Mozzarella, roughly shredded (I used a low-sodium version)
• 2 tbsp. Fresh Mint, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. Fresh Thyme, finely chopped
• 2 Egg Whites, beated
• 1, 28oz. can San Marzano Tomatoes
• a few Basil Leaves
• 3 tbsp. Red Onion, grated
• 4 small Yukon Gold Potatoes, sliced 1/2" thick
• 1/2 tsp. Stevia in the Raw
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil for brushing

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Peel the eggplants, leaving some skin on (so they look striped) and slide crosswise 1/4" thick
• Slice the zucchini 1/4" thick on an angle
• Pat the eggplant and zucchini dry and divide between 2 baken sheets.  Brush with olive oil and roast until slightly golden, 10-15 minutes
• Combine the ricotta with 1 c. each of Parmigiano-Reggiano and Mozzarella, the mint, parsley, and egg; season with salt and pepper
• In another bowl, combine the rest of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and Mozzarella
• Place the tomatoes and their juices in a food processor (I used my Magic Bullet) and puree with the minced garlic, the basil leaves, onion, and Stevia; season with salt and pepper
• Reduce the oven temp to 400 degrees
• Spread half of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a baking dish (I used a disposable foil pan because cleaning up after lasagna can be a pain)
• Layer in half of the eggplant and zucchini, then dollop 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on top
• Next, shingle half of the potatoes on top and season with salt and pepper and sprinkling of the rosemary and thyme
• Top with another third of the ricotta mixture
• Layer with th eremaining eggplant, zucchini, ricotta mixture and potatoes; season with the remaining rosemary and thyme
• Top with the remaining tomato sauce and Parmigiano-Reggiano mixture
• Cover the lasagna with greased parchment and wrap with foil; bake on a baking sheet for 40 minutes
• Uncover and bake until deeply golden, 30-40 minutes
• Let stand for 15-20 minutes before slicing

I forgot to take a photo after I cut it, but here's what it looked like fresh out of the oven!