Pasta-Free Eggplant Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant
• 1 1/2 cup marinara sauce
• 8 oz ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
• 1 large egg

1. Slice the eggplant about a quarter of an inch. You can do it lengthwise, and probably have a nicer looking dish, but this method's easier for those of us who don't have a mandolin.

2. Arrange the eggplant slices on an oiled sheet pan. Drizzle a little olive oil over each slice and season with sea salt and FRESHLY GROUND pepper (none of that powdery stuff!) It'll probably take two to three sheet pans to get the job done.

3. Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes. The eggplant should be slightly tender, but definitely not mushy. It will continue cooking in the lasagna.

4. While the eggplant is roasting, prepare the cheese mixture. Mix the ricotta, parmesan and HALF of the mozzarella. Reserve the other half. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Beat one egg until fluffy and fold into the cheese mixture.

6. After the eggplant is done roasting, start building the lasagna the same way you would a typical lasagna. Sauce, eggplant, cheese mixture, sauce, etc. I used a small Pyrex dish, about 9x5, so I fit in four layers. On the top layer, make sure to use a heavier amount of sauce, and top with the remaining mozzarella.

7. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes at 350. Let the dish rest for at least 30 minutes after cooking. Otherwise you'll end up with a watery mess.

The final result is not the prettiest thing in the world, but it's delicious!

Sidenotes:

• If I were to make this dish again (which is highly likely, because it was so good!) I would definitely use full-fat ricotta cheese, and maybe even some cream. I used part-skim and it was more watery than I would have liked it to be. I think making these changes will help make sure the ricotta layer sets up more.
• I went really heavy on the marinara, because that's what I like. If you don't like a lot of sauce, use 1 cup instead.