Greek Lasagna-Vegetarian

Sharon123's Note:

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics cookbook, this is a great Greek way to make lasagna!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 50 mins
• Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

Tomato Sauce

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons marjoram, dried
• 5 cups undrained canned whole tomatoes (3 14 1/2 oz. cans)
• 1/3 cup chopped kalamata olive
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (1 tsp. dried)

Filling

• 1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch rounds (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• olive oil, for brushing
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups cottage cheese
• 1 teaspoon ground fennel
• 3 cups grated feta cheese
• 1/2 lb uncooked lasagna noodle (12 noodles)

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, warm the olive oil briefly on medium heat. Add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions have begun to release their juices. Stir in the garlic and marjoram and saute until the onions are translucent. Add tomatoes, cover, and bring to a simmer. Then reduce the heat to medium low, just enough to maintain a simmer. Add the olives, salt, and pepper. Add the dill just before assembling lasagna for best flavor.
2. Preheat oven to 400*F. Lightly oil a large baking sheet.
3. While the sauce gently simmers, lay the eggplant rounds on baking sheet. Brush them with olive oil. Bake, uncovered for about 15 minutes. Remove the eggplant from the oven and reduce the heat to 350*F.
4. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the eggs, cottage cheese, fennel, and 1 cup of the feta cheese together and set aside.
5. Lightly oil a 8"x10"x3" casserole dish. Evenly spread 2 cups of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the dish. Top with a layer of noodles and cover with 1 cup of the tomato sauce. Next, layer all of the eggplant rounds, 1 cup of the feta cheese, a second layer of noodles, and another cup of the sauce. Finish with all of the egg and cottage cheese mixture, a third layer of noodles, the rest of the sauce, and the remaining cup of feta cheese.
6. Cover the lasagna with foil and bake for 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven, uncover the lasagna, and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Reviews

[Dr. Jenny]

WOW!!! This was a phenomenal lasagna recipe! We enjoyed this for dinner so much last night. It was delicious and even though it looked like a lot of ingredients, it was not difficult to prep or clean up after. DH, who is not thrilled with my meatless diet, agreed that he really enjoyed this. We made no modifications and found none were needed. This is going into my keeper file. Thanks so much!

[bigbadbrenda]

I really enjoyed this. I made smaller size portions for us and froze them for another supper.I added some mushroom to mine. The possibilities are endless.

[Chef #415573]

I added extra mozzarella on top and used a little more feta than the recipe called for. Also added zucchini to the eggplant layers. Yum!