In 1939, legislature was passed in Maine that forbid the addition of tomatoes to clam chowder. If I had grown up in Maine, my thirty year phase of not liking tomatoes might not have seemed so weird.

Although I still dislike tomatoes added to foods that aren’t already tomato-y (e.g. in mac and cheese, in stew), it is not uncommon for me to dream about grilled cheese + tomato soup. And though I’ve come around to making a meal of bread and a bowl of tomato sauce, I must admit - I still love the white stuff.

New England Eggplant Lasagna Recipe

Ingredients

1 eggplant, sliced into rounds
panko
red pepper flakes
3 cups milk
2 T butter
2 T flour
dried oregano and basil, to taste
1 bunch of parsley - chopped coarsely - you can use stems
3 cloves garlic minced + 1 clove garlic minced
1 large egg + 1 large egg white
blk pepper
salt
1 small container ricotta
2 oz grated parm
6 sheets lasagna noodles

Method

1. Preheat oven to 450 and line baking sheet with tin foil.

2. Combine enough panko to coat eggplant + red pepper flakes to taste. Dip eggplant in egg white and dredge in panko mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet.

3. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping once. Eggplant should be browned.

4. While eggplant is baking, sautee 1 clove garlic in butter, just until butter starts to bubble. Add flour and mix well. Add 2 cups milk, oregano and basil. Reduce heat and cook until mixture thickens - approx 10 minutes. Stir frequently.

5. In a bowl, combine 1 egg, ricotta, parmesan, chopped parsley, 3 cloves garlic and salt and pepper to taste.

6. Coat bottom of a small baker (I used a 5x7) with thickened milk. Top with 1 or 2 lasagna noodles, eggplant, and ricotta mixture. Repeat. Finish with layer of eggplant.

7. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes, or until bubbly and cooked thru. Allow 10 minutes to cool before serving.