Eggplant Lasagna with Lemongrass Tomato Sauce

This dish was inspired by a spectacular meal at Yullis vegetarian restaurant in Sydney, Australia. The lemongrass is completely unexpected, but delightful. It has a bite to it, but without the lingering tongue numbness of hot peppers or tabasco. The meal I had at Yullis consisted of thinly sliced eggplant rolled around spinach and mozzarella and was topped with sauce. Although lovely, I adapted the recipe to be less labour intensive - half the total preparation time is now unattended cooking.

2 medium eggplants
1 tbsp. olive oil
bag of baby spinach
box of instant lasagna sheets
500g 2% cottage cheese
1/2 c. cheese (I used cheddar, but any melting variety will work)

Tomato Sauce
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, finely diced
2 lemongrass stocks, smashed then finely chopped
400 g. tin of diced tomatoes
400 g. tin of crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt, pepper

Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F. Cut the eggplant into 1 cm slices. Set in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Quickly and lightly brush the slices with 1 tbsp. of olive oil, then sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Place in the oven until almost tender (10-15 minutes).

In a large sauce pan, cook the onion in 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat, stirring frequently. After 5 minutes, once mostly cooked, add the diced garlic and lemongrass. Sauté for another minute, then add the balsamic vinegar and cook a few more minutes to reduce. Add both tins of tomatoes, the sugar, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer until ready to use.

Lightly oil a large rectangle baking dish. Place a couple tablespoons of each sauce and water in the bottom of the dish. Place a single layer of lasagna sheets on top, careful not to overlap them. Add a single layer of eggplant, half the spinach and half the cottage cheese. Follow with another layer of pasta, one third of the sauce, a single layer of eggplant, the rest of the spinach and cottage cheese. Add another layer of pasta, sauce, and the remaining eggplant. Top with the remaining sauce and the grated cheese. Bake, covered with foil, for 35 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 10 minutes to brown the top.

Serves 6.