I made this lasagna for a group of friends while we were out skiing at Crested Butte last week, and I’ve been asked to write it up, so here we are.

You could substitute chicken for eggplant if you prefer, but I think that eggplant is better.

I’m the first to admit that this is not one of the high-effort from-scratch recipes that I generally prefer, but it’s just too darn easy and tasty.

This recipe is very loosely based on a one that I found online.

Yield: a heaping 8"x12" pyrex baking dish

Ingredients

Step 1

• 1 large eggplant
• Kosher salt

Step 2

• 1 to 2 eggs
  • It depends on the size of your eggplant.
• 2 tablespoons of milk (or water)
• 1 tub italian bread crumbs
• Oil for frying
  • I use cheap vegetable oil

Step 3

• 16 oz mozzarella cheese
  • I like Galbani whole milk low moisture mozzarella
  • Use pre-shredded cheese if you like eating sawdust.
• 1/2 cup parmesean cheese

Step 4

• 1 egg
• 24-oz bottle marinara sauce
• 15-oz ricotta cheese
  • Opt for the fancier cheese here, as the texture of the generic stuff can be kind of unpleasant.

Step 5

• 1 package lasagna noodles
  • Oven ready noodles are easier and just as good.

Step 6

• A few leaves of basil, chopped finely

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Farenheit

1. Prepare eggplant

• Slice the eggplant into rounds (as thin or as thick as you like).
• Lay the rounds out on a cutting board or tray and liberally sprinkle with salt.
• Wait until beads of moisture appear on the surface of the eggplant, and then blot it up with a towel.
• Flip the rounds over and repeat.

2. Bread and Fry Eggplant

• Prepare two bowls and a frying pan.
• In the first bowl make an egg wash by whisking together the eggs and milk/water.
• Add the bread crumbs to the second bowl.
• Add frying oil to the fry pan and heat over medium. You’ll know it’s ready when a dropping in a breadcrumb or two causes it to bubble satisfyingly without smoking or spitting oil.
• Bread the eggplant by dipping each round in the egg wash, and then coating with bread crumbs in the second bowl. Add the rounds to the oil once it’s ready. Keep a close eye on the pan, as they can burn quickly if you get distracted.
• Once golden brown, set the rounds aside on a paper-towel covered plate. Compost the paper towels after you’ve finished (if you don’t live in the Colorado front range).

3. Grate Cheeses

• This part is easy. Grate both of your cheeses and set aside separately.

4. Prepare Ricotta

• Mix together the ricotta, 1/5 of the marinara sauce, 1 egg and a small handful of grated the mozarella cheese.

5. Assemble

• If you didn’t get oven-ready lasagna noodles, cook them according to the instructions on the box.
• Add all your ingredients to your baking dish in thin layers in the following order:
  • Sauce
  • Noodles
  • Ricotta
  • Eggplant
  • Mozarella
  • And repeat
• End with a final layer of sauce and mozarella to protect the whole mess from burning in the oven.

6. Bake

• If your pyrex baking dish is overflowing like mine usually is, set a cookie sheet under the dish to catch any overflow.
• Bake on the upper rack at 400 degrees Farenheit for 35-45 minutes, or until the cheese on top is golden brown.
• Sprinkle your chopped basil over the top.
• Let sit outside of the oven for 10-15 minutes before eating.