eggplant lasagna question?

[julirama723]

Hey guys...
I made eggplant lasagna last night, based on a recipe I found online. After reading some reviews, people said that their eggplant was too tough, and suggested boiling it for 30min or so to "cook" it. I boiled it for about 5 minutes and ended up with mush. I still put it together, but it was incredibly watery, even though the flavor was like that of my "real" lasagna--I could barely taste the eggplant.

I was searching through the threads about this, and it seemed people pan-fried it first, or leeched the water out with salt. What works best to give the eggplant that typical "lasagna" texture? Or what else works well for the "noodles"--anything but mushrooms, can't stand those.

Thanks!

[2big4mysize]

Re: eggplant lasagna question?

noodles zuchinni ribbons
cooked egg strips

you could just bake your diss less time and test your egglpant ofr doneness with a fork. when it is soft the dish is done

egg plant has lots of water in them soo you want to remove it before you bake it in your dish if you don't like the texture you got. when you pan fry it moister excapes and all you aree doing in the final dish is mealting the cheese so you need less cooking time.

Some varieties of eggplant are better for baking like the dark purple one the white cresant moon turns to mush as does the japanese ones if you bake them too long.

[julirama723]

Re: eggplant lasagna question?

thanks 2big!

[sallyseachange]

Re: eggplant lasagna question?

I've never done the eggplant lasagna but would think that pan frying slices would be the way to go. Like for parmigiana. Nowadays the eggplants don't need salting to get rid of the bitterness... unless they're home grown ones.
Eggplant can be a great pasta substitute.

[cathyjobob]

Re: eggplant lasagna question?

I LOVE eggplant lasagna...Tim does too...it's something I've been making for a long time, even before coming here.

I don't salt my eggplant, or anything like that...

I just slice it lenghtwise..and cook it for about 2 hours at 350 degrees, then let it sit for about half an hour after you cook it. You don't need to precook the slices...they cook sufficiently in the oven...just make sure the slices are quarter of an inch thick...if they are thicker, they tend to get kinda tough.

Good luck...great dish!

[julirama723]

Re: eggplant lasagna question?

thank you so much cathyjobob! oooh I'm going to try this again!

[cathyjobob]

Re: eggplant lasagna question?

thank you so much cathyjobob! oooh I'm going to try this again!

Right on Sista!

[higgies]

Re: eggplant lasagna question?

Broiling them with some salt also will get them nice and floppy without making them mushy. When I don't feel like frying them I usually through them under the broiler for about 4 minutes per side...depending on thickness.