45 minutes
Serves 4-5
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 cups carbonated water
1/2 tsp. salt
5 cups canola oil
1 25 oz. jar marinara sauce
1 pound mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Cooking Spray
Make Dinner:
Slice eggplant into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place in a large mixing bowl. Add 2 tsp. salt and 8 cups of water. Soak eggplant in salted water for 15 minutes. (Chef's Note: This will remove any bitter taste the eggplant may have.)
While eggplant is soaking, combine flour, cornstarch, salt and carbonated water in a medium mixing bowl. Mix well until batter is smooth. Remove eggplant from salt water and pat dry with a paper towel. Heat canola oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Dip each slice of eggplant into batter and fry in oil 4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To build lasagna, first spray a 9 x 9 square baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange four slices of cooked eggplant evenly in the bottom of the baking pan. Top with 1/2 cup marinara sauce, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Top first layer with another four slices of eggplant. Again top eggplant with marinara sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. To complete the third and final layer of lasagna, place the last four slices of eggplant evenly into baking pan. Top with remaining marinara sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 15 minutes. Allow lasagna to rest 7-8 minutes before slicing and serving.