Eggplant "Lasagna"

Combine my desire to lose a few pounds with the bounty of vegetables out there and it leads to me trying to have a couple of "vegetarian" days a week. Fruit smoothie for breakfast, big salad for lunch and a yummy vegetarian main course for dinner. This recipe definitely fits with the dinner plan. The eggplant stands in for pasta in a typical lasagna preparation. If you're a fan of eggplant parmigiana, you'll love it. While there's a good amount of cheese in it, use low-fat versions to keep things on the skinny side and South Beach friendly.

Eggplant "Lasagna" with Mushrooms and Red Pepper
Serves 6-8.

Olive oil
1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 red bell pepper, sliced into 1/4 inch rings
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
1-15 ounce container low-fat ricotta cheese
3 eggs
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
(A grating of nutmeg if you have it.)
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 cups pasta sauce (I used an organic jarred version.)
2 tablespoons Italian herb seasoning (or to taste)
Pinch of red pepper flakes
4 ounces low-fat mozzarella cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease an 8 inch by 11 inch glass baking dish with olive oil.

Arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet, season with kosher salt and lightly brush the tops with olive oil. Bake until the eggplant is soft and golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a plate and set aside to cool.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Toss the peppers with a few dashes of olive oil and spread on baking sheet. Toss mushrooms with olive oil and spread on same baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, basil, parsley, nutmeg and a dash of salt until well-combined.

In a large saute pan drizzled with olive oil, saute the diced onion over medium-low heat until just translucent, about 4 minutes. Pour in the pasta sauce and stir. Bring sauce to a simmer and add Italian herb seasoning and crushed red pepper. Stir and simmer until well-incorporated, about 10 minutes.

To assemble lasagna, layer half of the eggplant slices in the prepared baking dish. Top with half of the ricotta mixture and half of the tomato sauce. Layer red pepper rings and mushrooms on top. Spread remaining ricotta mixture over and layer with remaining eggplant slices. Top with mozzarella cheese and remaining 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan.

Bake at 350 degrees until all the layers are heated through and the cheese is melted, about 45 minutes.