Eggplant Lasagne Recipe

This eggplant lasagne recipe is a great way to use a late summer glut of eggplant (or aubergine). You can use a combination of whatever vegetables you have available – I had not quite enough eggplant and courgettes that were still producing so I used those. It uses lasagne sheets broken into pieces and stirred through the mix, which keeps it simple and all in one pan rather than bothering with layering the vegetables and pasta. Of course you can do that if you prefer or use any type of pasta you want. Serve with a salad.

1kg eggplant (or combination of eggplant & courgette – whatever you have)
1 onion (or combination of shallots & spring onion – whatever you have)
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
Fresh sage leaves (large handful)
Olive oil
1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
1 lemon
2 tins chopped tomatoes
50g cheese (whatever you have)
50g Parmesan cheese
250g lasagne sheets
50g sliced almonds

Heat a cup of water in a large casserole dish over a medium heat.
Cut the eggplants and courgettes in half lengthways and then into large pieces and place in the pan.
Chop and add the onions, then cover pan with a lid and cook for 20 minutes.

Remove the lid and when most of the liquid has cooked away, add 3 tablespoons oil, garlic, chilli flakes and most of the sage leaves. Finely grate in the lemon zest.
Once golden, add the tomatoes and a tin of water. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the pan from the heat, grate in the cheese, and season with salt and pepper.
Break up the lasagne sheets into pieces and stir into the mixture so they are well coated.
Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top along with the remaining sage leaves (rubbed with oil).
Bake for 25 minutes at 200C until golden and bubbling.