The greatest change I have seen since I started my career as a pastry chef is the increasing demand for more gluten free options. Gluten free requests tend to present a challenge, as most pastry and dessert recipes call for flour. Now I know what you are thinking - well there is always sorbet and ice cream right? But really let's face it, the customers with gluten intolerances are tired of being told the sorbets and ice creams are their only gluten free options, and honestly I think thats fair. So about a year ago my boss and I sat down to assess our seasonal menus, with the goal of adding at least one gluten free option to each. To my surprise, the more I worked on these dishes, the more I found the potential depth in their simplicity; and how easy it was to make some of our customers favorite desserts gluten free!
Jump forward one year and we are now in phase 1 of planning gluten free options for each of our seasonal savory menus. Below is one of the savory options that is a potential for the new winter menu. I hope you all will enjoy it and I will let you know if it makes the cut for the new menu.
List of Ingredients:
2 Eggplant
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
15 oz. Ricotta Cheese (You can use fat free, 1%, 2%, or Whole Milk)
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan
1 lb. Grated Mozzarella
1 26 oz. Jar of your favorite prepared pasta sauce
3 Cups roasted diced veggies (optional)
Alright let's get cooking!
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Trim the top and bottom portions of your eggplants so they stand up straight on your cutting board. Now with a serrated knife cut 15 1/4 inch to1/2 inch slices from your eggplants. (The slices should be the length of the eggplant to be clear.)
- Next, lay each of the slices on on a foiled or parchment lined sheet pan. Drizzle the olive oil evenly over the slices then salt and pepper (this will help season the eggplant as well as assist in drawing out some of the moisture).
-Place the eggplant in the oven for 10-15 minutes, they will appear slightly darker in color and should be limp when you pick them up.
- While the eggplant is in the oven, combine your ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of your mozzarella.
- Pull out a 9 x13 in glass casserole dish. When the eggplant is done. Layer 5 of the 15 slices of eggplant on the bottom of the casserole dish. Next spread out 1/3 of you ricotta mixture over the eggplant, then layer 1/3 of you pasta sauce, and finally spread 1/3 of your remaining mozzarella cheese over top your sauce. (*See below if you choose to add veggies).
- Repeat this process 2 more times and then place your lasagna in the 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.
**As you may have noticed in the list of ingredients there was an optional portion for veggies, for this just dice up 3 cups of you favorite veggies (mine are yellow squash, mushrooms and spinach) and roast them in the oven the same way you did the eggplant (except the spinach; you would simply cook that off in a frying pan with about 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper).
- Place 1 Cup of your veggies in between your sauce and mozzarella cheese layer, and then repeat the same process as above.
This is Doug Wetzel. Bon Appetit' ;)
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