AUNT MIRIAM’S EGGPLANT AND SPINACH LASAGNA

Use a 22 cm. x 35 cm. pan. 1 package lasagna noodles

Eggplant

3 eggplants, cut into 2 cm.-thick slices Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Spinach

1 bunch of Turkish spinach, or 1 package of regular spinach, rinsed well

2 cloves garlic

Sea salt

Olive oil or a little water

Sauce

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 400-gr. cans of crushed tomatoes

(total 1,200 gr.)

Pinch sugar

Sea salt

Black pepper

Olive oil

Serving suggestion

Chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 180° and line tray with baking paper.

Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on pan and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until completely soft.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan and add spinach. Cook for two to three minutes until leaves wilt. Transfer to a bowl. Add garlic and salt. Stir.

To prepare sauce, heat four tablespoons of oil in a medium pot over a medium-high flame. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds while stirring, so it doesn’t burn. Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring back to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes until liquid has evaporated. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.

To prepare the lasagna, spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of an oven-proof dish. Then, add a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles, a layer of eggplant, a layer of spinach, and then another layer of tomato sauce. Continue with a few more layers and finish with a layer of tomato sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for a day or two.

Preheat oven to 180° and bake for 40 minutes.

One alternative is to replace eggplant with zucchini. Another is to add tofu and dried tomatoes.