Eggplant? Are you serious?! I know, it has never been my veggie of choice either, but if you try this recipe you might just change your mind! The ingredients add so much flavor you will wonder why you haven’t tried eggplant before! Try it out on your family and see!

8 oz uncooked lasagna noodles
1/2 cup olive oil, plus a little more for drizzling
1 pound hot italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled
1 jar (26 oz) pasta sauce
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 large eggplant, trimmed and cut into 1/2 slices – lengthwise
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 pound fresh Mozzarella, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped for garnish

1. Cook the lasagna noodles until almost done in a large pot of salted, boiling water, splashed with a little olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking together (about 8 minutes). Drain well. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Drizzle tops with olive oil and cover with paper towels.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet and add the sausage. Break it up with fork as it browns, cooking through about 5-7 minutes. Drain the grease and spoon the sausage onto a paper towel-lined plate to finish draining. Pour the pasta sauce into the skillet and scape any sausage cooked onto the pan in stir into sauce. Return all the sausage to the skillet and heat through.

3. Preheat the broiler with the rack 6 inches from the heat source. In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta with 1 cup of the Parmesan. Coat the eggplant slices with the remaining 7 tablespoons of the oil and arrange them single layer on a baking sheet. Broil the eggplant until tender and golden, turning once. Total cooking time is 3-4 minutes per side.

4. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees. In a lightly greased 13 X 9-inch baking dish, layer one-third of the sauce, half the noodles, half the eggplant, half the ricotta mixture, and half the mozarella slices. Repeat, ending with the final third sauce mixture. Top with remaining Parmesan. Bake until golden and bubbling, about 40 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil before serving.

TIPS: If more cheese is desired on top, add some grated mozarella before using the remaining Parmesan. Serve with your favorite fresh bread!