vegetable garden lasagne

category: [italian]

1 eggplant 1 tsp coarse salt (e.g. sea salt) 8 tbsp olive oil 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, julienne 1 red bell pepper, ditto 1 large onion, slivered 12 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced 1/4 cup unbleached flour 8 oz lasagne noodles (2 eggs worth of fresh noodles is plenty) 3 cups spaghetti sauce 1 1/2 cups bechamel sauce 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan 5 oz chevre 1/2 cup slivered fresh basil leaves 8 oz mozzarella, grated

Slice eggplant into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Sprinkle with sea-salt, drain 1 hour in colander. Wipe off salt, pat dry.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in large skillet. Saute bell peppers and onion until cooked, not browned. Remove peppers and onion with slotted spoon. Saute mushrooms, remove.

Dredge eggplant with flour, shake excess, saute in oil, both sides, medium heat, until lightly browned, adding oil as needed. Transfer to paper towels.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cook lasagna in water until just tender. Rinse under cold water.

Spread thin layer of tomato sauce on 13"x9" baking dish. Arrange half of noodles over sauce. Cover with peppers, onion, mushrooms, eggplant, in layers. Mix bechamel and Parmesan together; spoon half on top of vegetables. Crumble chevre over bechamel; sprinkle with half of basil. Top with more tomato sauce, then another layer of noodles. Spread remaining bechamel, basil, tomato sauce, mozzarella.

Cover dish with aluminum foil, bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes, until brown and bubbly.

source: New Basics