Eggplant Lasagna with Spinach and Ground Beef

Ingredients:

For the Sauce:

• 24 ounces Rao’s Pasta Sauce
• 1 ½ pounds ground beef
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• For Eggplant Noodles:
• 2 large eggplants
• Olive oil spray
• Salt
• ½ teaspoon oregano

For Cheese Mixture:

• 10 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ cup cooked spinach, squeezed dry
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Slice eggplant into ¼” slices. Generously cover with salt and let sit in a strainer for about 30 minutes.

Rinse well and dab dry. Spray with olive oil spray.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place eggplant slices on a parchment-lined pan (2 pans), season with oregano, and bake for 30 minutes, flipping after 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 350°F for the lasagna.

Brown ground beef with Italian seasoning in a pan. Drain fat.

Add 2 cups pasta sauce and 1 cup water. Simmer for 15 minutes or until thickened.

Combine ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, egg, egg yolk, and cooked spinach in a bowl. Set aside.

Place ½ cup tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Place ⅓ of the eggplant slices over the tomato sauce.

Layer ½ cheese mixture, and ½ meat mixture. Repeat with ⅓ eggplant, remaining cheese mixture, remaining meat mixture, and finally remaining eggplant.

Cover with mozzarella cheese.

Bake covered for 30 minutes, remove foil, and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cooking Time: 1 hour | Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Kcal: 350 kcal | Servings: 8 servings