Do you ever get the urge, at 6:30 pm on a weeknight when everyone is already starving, to whip up something markedly not weeknight appropriate? Say, lasagna for instance? I did. Last night. I simply turned a blind eye while my hungry counterpart stole nibbles of shredded cheese from the counter for himself and our furry companion, and everyone was happy when dinner finally made it’s appearance two hours later. On a rainy Fall night, when you aren’t quite sure how you feel about November showing up unexpectedly and without permission, there is nothing like a piping hot lasagna to cheer you up, with a thick layer of chewy cheese on top and crunchy edges. And let me tell you – roasted eggplant and portobello mushrooms make a killer lasagna. I surpassed my own self-expectations with this one.  

 

Roasting the veggies under high heat for a short period of time allows them to caramelize and concentrates their earthy, sweet flavours. When the softened, slightly charred vegetables are baked with garlicky marinara sauce and lots of gooey cheese between layers of noodles, the result is rich and satisfying without being heavy in the way that meat lasagna can be. The secret to good eggplant is salting it and letting it stand for about 15 minutes before using it. This draws out the bitter juices, and also improves the cooking by leaps and bounds – if you skip this step, the eggplant acts like a sponge – rather than browning nicely, it just soaks up the oil and gets soggy and greasy.  

I saved some time and an additional dirty pot by using the oven-ready lasagna noodles, and was really happy with the result. The trick is to make an extra-saucy lasagna so the noodles can soften adequately without drying out the dish. I could have saved more time by using jarred pasta sauce (which you are free to do!) but really, you must try my marinara sauce at some point because it is so simple to make, and it is to die for. The afore-mentioned hungry counterpart (and not the furry one) licked the sauce-pot clean while the lasagna was in the oven. Oliver really wanted some lasagna too. This is the fur-faced gourmet who turns his nose up at Milk Bones and spits out any treat that he deems inferior. But seriously, who could say no to those eyes and that hairdo? So cute, I just wanna paint his picture.  

If you’re an eggplant fan, don’t miss my grilled eggplant with garlic oil and whipped feta.