Portobello Parmesan

Ingredients

(from NY Times Cooking)

Yield: 4 servings
10 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (1 pint)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
8 portobello mushrooms, stems removed
3 cups store-bought or homemade marinara sauce
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded low-moisture mozzarella
1 cup panko bread crumbs (optional)
½ cup (½ ounce) basil leaves, finely chopped, plus more leaves for topping

Prep:

Step 1
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange the cherry tomatoes on a sheet pan, along with half the garlic, and drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper, and toss to coat the tomatoes.

Step 2
To the sheet pan, add the mushroom caps in between the tomatoes, gill side up, and drizzle each generously with olive oil. (Don’t skimp here, as the olive oil will add lots of rich flavor.) Scatter the mushrooms with the remaining garlic, and season each mushroom with salt and black pepper. Fill each mushroom with marinara sauce, and top with cheese. Place in the oven and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbly and golden.

Step 3
Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet over medium-high. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the bread crumbs, basil and ½ teaspoon of salt. Stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden. Remove from heat immediately and transfer to a bowl or jar.

Eggplant Lasagna

This is a new take on lasagna that is both meat and gluten-free. For this recipe I used the same filling that I use for regular lasagna and cannelloni, and a jar of store-bought or a homemade marinara. The eggplant is used in place of noodles and I used a Trader Joe's marinara sauce.  


EGGPLANT LASAGNA
2 medium eggplants (about 2 1/4 pounds total), trimmed, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices

• 3 zucchinis, sliced thinly lengthwise
• Coarse kosher salt
• Extra-virgin olive oil

16-24 ounces of canned marinara sauce

For filling:

1 pkg. frozen spinach, thawed & drained well

15 basil leaves, chopped

1 lb. fresh ricotta

1 cup shredded mozzarella, plus 1/2 cup for topping
salt & pepper

2 eggs

1/2 cup grated parmesan 

• 
  
  Cover bottom and sides of each of 2 large colanders with 1 layer of eggplant slices; sprinkle generously with coarse salt. Continue layering eggplant slices in each colander, sprinkling each layer with coarse salt, until all eggplant slices are used. Place each colander over large bowl; let stand at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Rinse eggplant slices to remove excess salt; dry thoroughly with paper towels.
• 
  
  Position oven rack 5 to 6 inches from heat source and preheat broiler. Line 3 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange eggplant slices in single layer on prepared baking sheets. Brush both sides of eggplant slices with olive oil. Broil 1 sheet at a time until eggplant slices are tender and beginning to brown, watching closely and removing eggplant slices as needed if cooking too quickly, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove baking sheet from oven and cool eggplant while preparing filling.
  
  
  Combine drained spinach, basil, ricotta, mozzarella, salt & pepper and eggs; mix well. Add 1/4 cup parmesan, reserve the rest for topping and set aside. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Spread a layer of sauce evenly over bottom of dish. Place one layer of eggplant slices over sauce, covered by one layer of filling (about 1 inch thick), covered by one layer of zucchini slices and cover entire layer with sauce.  Repeat with another layer of eggplant, filling, zucchini slices and sauce.  Cover entire pan with remaining marinara, mozzarella and parmesan.  

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake another 15-20 minutes until the cheese begins to brown.