| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 45 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Inactive: | 1 hr |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant
- Salt
- 2 eggs, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
- 1 1/2 cups plain bread crumbs
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- Olive oil, for frying
- 1 or 2 tablespoons butter, depending on taste
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 cup olive oil
- Scant 1/4 cup chopped peppadew peppers
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves pressed through a garlic press
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup mint leaves
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley leaves
- Minced garlic
- Shredded Parmesan
- 1/2 (16-ounce) box lasagna noodles
- 1 pound ball fresh mozzerella cheese, cubed or shredded
- 1/2 cup basil leaves
- Cherry or grape tomatoes, halved and tossed with some vinaigrette, for garnish
Instructions
- Peel and slice the eggplant and salt it in a colander. Cover with paper towels and a tea kettle that is full and heavy. Let stand for about 1 hour until moisture is released. This first step is very important to remove any bitterness.
- Batter the eggplant by dipping first in beaten eggs, then in bread crumbs seasoned with salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, and garlic powder. (If you need to use store bought seasoned bread crumbs omit salt and pepper.)
- In a deep sided fry pan heat the olive oil to 350 degrees F. Add a little butter (for flavor) and fry the eggplant in batches until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
- Make the vinaigrette of red wine vinegar, olive oil, chopped peppadews, sugar, oregano and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Chop the mint and Italian parsley.
- Spoon 2 tablespoons vinaigrette in the bottom of a large bowl. Layer eggplant slices with the chopped mint, parsley, and the vinaigrette. Top with more of the vinaigrette and marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. (Cook’s note: you can also add to the layers more minced garlic and shredded Parmesan.)
- Boil the lasagna noodles with a little oil, so that they do not stick, and some salt, to impart some flavor.
- In a beautiful serving dish layer the marinated eggplant, the noodles, then sprinkle with some fresh mozzarella, then the basil and finally drizzle with the vinaigrette. Repeat until all the layers are formed, making sure that the noodle is not the last layer. Garnish with cherry tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve at room temperature for the best summer lasagna. Manga!!!
Reviews
This recipe was delicious! I made it for a special occasion at home, and it was devoured. Added a few extra tomatoes and couple links of spicy Italian sausage to spice things up. Definitely recommend this one. it’s completely with the effort!
This is a big hit! I would suggest just making your eggplant the usual way you would at home and just mix up the dressing. Saves on time. The first time I made this it was way too long..also left out the mint and stayed with the basil.
This was sadly the worst dinner I have ever made. Which is saying something, as I am a terrible cook, and usually rely on a solid recipe to get me past my own short comings. But this recipe is incomplete, and when fully assembled, is just not good.
It took me 4 hours to make- though I expected that from the instructions. It was SO not worth the effort though. At the end, you have an oddly minty pile of pasta and the other ingredients, that is overly oily.
Save yourself the time, and SKIP THIS!!!
The prep time was close to three hours, I hour to sweat eggplant, another hour to fry it all up, in several batches. One hour or more to marinate. then assemble. yikes. we didn’t eat until 10:PM. Plus I had to use almost a whole roll of paper towels, to sweat & drain the eggplant, and mop off the stove.
Also; the recipe calls for 1 cup of grated parmasean cheese but then never tells you what to do with it. Some one must have goofed.
For all the time and effort it should have been the best thing I ever ate. It wasn’t.
I give it a poor rating for time and messiness.
Also; the recipe calls for 1 cup of grated parmasean cheese but then never tells you what to do with it. Some one must have goofed.
For all the time and effort it should have been the best thing I ever ate. It wasn’t.
I give it a poor rating for time and messiness.
I don’t understand how this recipe won an award. I followed it exactly as written. It was so full of oil, between the frying, marinating and then sprinkling with oil. I wound up throwing it away. The eggplant started out good, although the breadcrumb mixture was so much, I could have coated 2 or 3 eggplants. What a waste of food! Also, the sprinkled mozzerella on this cold dish, added nothing. It just did not work for me.
I had it today at TGIF and i thought it was the best.. Very well put together and love the idea of Eggplant under it.. Great Job.
Debi Marvin Melbourne, Fl
This is a very light and refreshing dish. The flavors are wonderful with the fried eggplant and the vinaigrette drizled over the pasta.
I really wanted to like this recipe because I like all of the ingredients. I’ve made other recipes from this episode, and I have to say that I’m surprised this dish won because it wasn’t the best dish of those I made. We won’t be making this one again.
My husband and I have been experimenting with eggplant and this is the first successful dish we’ve tried. The flavors were fantastic (I omitted the mint but am curious to try it with), it was light despite the fried eggplant, and the textures were great. There’s a lot of inactive prep time (an hour to drain the eggplant and an hour to marinate it after it’s fried) but it’s really easy to throw together. And because there’s so little time at the stove, it’s a great warm-weather dish.
I didn’t make the recipe, but rather tried at a Fridays near me. This pasta dish was light and refreshing. It would be great, as the name suggests, for a meal on a warm day. If I made it, I would reduce the vinegar a bit. Other than that, I wouldn’t alter anything. Try it, you’ll like it.