Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna

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     My dear friend Anita has a very green thumb and has a fantastic garden practically year round, which is a thing here in Arizona.  She gave us some beautiful purple eggplant out of it recently.  
       I don't have a lot of experience with eggplant, but I knew that it pretty much takes of the flavor or whatever it is cooked with. 

     I thought about using it to replace noodles in lasagna.  But, I didn't know if I had to seed it or what!  Here are a couple of things I learned about it as I studied it out:

• Eggplant is thought of by most as a vegetable, but it is really a berry!  
• The seeds are edible and so is the skin if you really want to eat it.  (I skinned mine with a vegetable peeler.)
• It is best not eaten raw.
• You should soak it in water to make it less bitter before cooking it.                                         

     My husband and I watched a couple of YouTube videos about cooking eggplant and I saw a really delicious looking recipe for Eggplant Parmesan.  So, that gave me a different perspective about the Lasagna idea and I decided to do a mash-up of Eggplant Parmesan with Lasagna.  It worked out very well and tastes wonderful.  Here is how I did it.  First make the sauce, then work on the eggplant.

After soaking the eggplant, dip it in egg and milk mixture and dredge in breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.

Fry on both sides in a hot skillet until nice and brown.

Put a little sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Then place a layer of the fried eggplant.

Cover the eggplant with the ricotta cheese.

Put half of the sauce over the ricotta, then top with half of the mozzarella cheese.

On top of the cheese, put another layer of the eggplants.

Top with the rest of the sauce, and both cheeses. Bake for about 40 min. Let rest a few minutes before serving.

It is cheesy and delicious. The eggplant is soft and blends in with the cheese and italian sausage. My husband takes seconds every time.

       Now, here is the real recipe: 

Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna

      If you haven't tried cooking with eggplant, I would highly recommend it!  This recipe works great for a low-carb diet.  I think you could even do away with the bread crumbs if you would like.  Have you ever tried it?  Drop us a comment below!