Grilled Eggplant Lasagna
When I opened Heartbeat Restaurant in 1997, half of the dishes were vegetarian and half of those recipes were vegan. For the vegan dishes, I wanted to make sure I had some menu items that were comforting and filling. It is at Heartbeat where I created the first recipe for tomato soup with no dairy. It didn’t take long for me to utilize the soup as a base sauce, and lasagna was the perfect subject. Because we committed to not use any processed carbohydrates, I needed a replacement for noodles. Long slices of grilled eggplant more than fit the bill!
Preheat grill
- Cut the stem end from the eggplant, and then slice lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices. Season by sprinkling over each slice with salt and let stand for 15 minutes, or until the eggplant slices weep some liquid.
- Pat the slices dry and brush lightly with olive oil. Grill 4 to 6 minutes on each side. Set aside and cool to room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are softened but not brown.
- Add the lentils and oregano. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the lentils are hot.
- Reduce the heat to low, add the Tomato Basil soup and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir-in the nutritional yeast. Keep warm.
- Spoon 1/3 of the lentil mixture over the bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish, and arrange a layer of grilled eggplant slices over the top to completely cover. Spread 1/3 of the spinach evenly over the eggplant.
- Sprinkle 1/3 of the “cheese” over the spinach, then repeat step 4. Sprinkle another 1/3 of the cheese over the second half of the spinach.
- Top with the remaining eggplant slices, followed by the rest of the sauce and bake, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Un-cover the casserole, and sprinkle the remaining 1/3 of the Daiya Cheese over the top and return to the oven. Place the oven on broil, and return the lasagna to the oven on a center rack. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the Daiya Cheese is melted and nicely browned.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large or 2 medium-to large eggplants
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced red onion
- 1 teaspoon freshly minced garlic
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 32 ounces Tomato Basil soup
- 1 tablespoon Nutritional yeast
- 2 12-ounce bags of frozen spinach
- 2 cups of Daiya cheese
