Eggplant Lasagne with Pesto and Tomato Sauce

Prep 25 min·Cook 60 min·Total 85 min·6 servings·VEGETARIAN·550 kcal

A slice of eggplant lasagne with pesto on a dark plate, visible layers and a golden cheese crust

Ingredients

For the eggplant

2-3 eggplants (about 500-600 gr (17.6-21.2 oz.))
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper

For the tomato sauce

1 onion
2 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp olive oil
800 gr (28.2 oz.) tomatoes (tinned)
1 Tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 pinches pepper
1 Tbsp italian herbs (dried)
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
fresh basil

For layering

200-250 gr (7.1-8.8 oz.) lasagne sheets (no pre-cooking needed)
250 gr (8.8 oz.) pesto
100 gr (3.5 oz.) parmesan (grated, or mixed with other cheese)

Equipment: Baking sheet, Parchment paper, Saucepan, Baking dish, Oven

Instructions

Bake the eggplant

1.Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.Cut the eggplants into thin slices, spread them on the baking sheet, brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3.Bake the eggplant slices for 15-20 minutes until soft and lightly browned, then set aside.

Tomato sauce

1.Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic cloves.
2.Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the onion and garlic until translucent.
3.Add the tinned tomatoes and break them up with a spoon.
4.Stir in the tomato purée, sugar, salt, pepper, italian herbs and balsamic vinegar.
5.Simmer the sauce over low heat for 20 minutes.
6.Finally, stir in the fresh, chopped basil.

Layer and bake

1.Cover the base of a baking dish with a little tomato sauce and lay lasagne sheets on top.
2.Spread another layer of tomato sauce over them, add the baked eggplant slices and spread generously with pesto.
3.Repeat the layers until all the ingredients are used up – the final layer should be pesto.
4.Sprinkle with the grated parmesan and bake the lasagne at 180°C (356°F) for about 35-40 minutes until the cheese is golden and crisp.
5.Take the lasagne out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
6.Garnish with fresh basil and enjoy.

Notes

Tip from my kitchen: slice the eggplant really thin, about 5 mm – that way it softens evenly while pre-baking and layers up neatly later. The pre-bake is the single most important step, because eggplant is over 90% water; skip it and you get a watery lasagne. Use a good, punchy basil pesto – it carries the whole flavour, and a batch you make yourself tastes best of all. Make sure the very top layer really is pesto before the parmesan goes on: the oil in the pesto is what makes the crust extra crisp. And don't skip the 10 minutes of resting – only then will the lasagne cut into clean slices.

Nutrition per serving: 550 kcal · 14 g protein