Eggplant Lasagna

1 or 2 Japanese eggplants, sliced into rounds
About 9 lasagna noodles
1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and thoroughly drained
1/4 cup each mozzarella & parmesan cheese
1 egg
Salt & Pepper
About 1 1/2 cups of your favorite Alfredo or Marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Spread out the eggplant slices on a paper-towel lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Allow to sit for about 20 minutes. Pat dry with a paper towel and rinse off the excess salt. Set aside.
Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside flat on a paper towel. While the noodles are cooking, mix together the ricotta cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, spinach, egg and salt & pepper until well blended.
Once the noodles are cooked, in an 8x8 inch baking dish, spray liberally with cooking spray. Put a layer of noodles down, then a thin layer of the ricotta cheese mixture, then a layer of eggplant slices. Repeat until you reach the top of the dish, and make sure to end with noodles. Pour the sauce over everything, sprinkle some more parmesan cheese overtop, and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake another 10-15 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown on top. Serve hot with extra sauce on the side.

*I am a huge fan of lasagna, but as you know, not a huge fan of eggplant. This recipe is a great way to fool people like me into eating it. The Japanese eggplant has a milder flavor than regular eggplant, which tends to be bitter the bigger it is. Remember, the bigger the eggplant, the more seeds it has in it, the more bitter it is. That is why the "salting" step is so important. It draws out some of the bitter liquid from the eggplant and makes it tender and delicious. Don't forget the rinsing step either because otherwise you will have salty eggplant!

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? Matthew 5:13a