MENU
 
 
 
 

  • Mama Lovera's Sicilian Lasagna

    1 vote
    Mama Lovera's Sicilian Lasagna
    Prep: 30 min Cook: 30 min Servings: 5
    by Bobby Lovera
    14 recipes
    >
    This Sicilian Lasagna has a layer of baked Eggplant. Just wait till you see how this one is put together!

    Ingredients

    • 1 Big Purple Eggplant
    • Kosher Salt (No Substitutions)
    • 1 C. Sliced Onion or Mushroom
    • 1/4 C. EV Olive Oil
    • 1/4 C. Chopped Fresh Garlic
    • 1/2 lb. Bacon
    • 2 C. Ricotta Cheese
    • 1 Can Cream of Onion Soup
    • 2 T. Mixed Dried Italian Herbs
    • 1 C. Parmesan Powder
    • 1/2 C. Tomato Juice (or Stock stirred with a dab of tomato paste as per Karen)
    • 1 C. Or Can of Stewed Tomatoes
    • 1/4 C. Chopped Olives
    • 1/4 C. Butter (optional)
    • 1/4 C. Toasted Pignoli Pine Nuts for Garnish...more to taste
    • 2 C. All Purpose Flour or Semolina Pasta Blend
    • 1/2 t. Salt
    • 2 Egg
    • 1 t. EV Olive Oil
    • 1/2 C. Chicken Stock

    Directions

    1. In a bowl combine the flour, salt, eggs, olive oil, and chicken stock to make a dough.
    2. Roll out the dough thin...very thin... and add in a little more flour as necessary.
    3. Spray a rectangle glass baking dish with Nonstick spray and lay the dough inside to fit leaving a little 1/4 inch raised edge.
    4. If you have to much dough just cut the excess into strips and have Fettucini later.
    5. Pour on 1/2 of the tomato Juice...there is some in the can of stewed tomatoes...but I added 1/2 C. to the recipe in case you want it more moist.
    6. Mix Ricotta Cheese, Cream of Onion soup, and Herbs then spread over dough. Some people would add an egg yolk but with the soup it's not really necessary...unless you want it quite firm.
    7. Cover with Parmesan Cheese.
    8. Bake this cheese tart at 350F for 25 minutes.
    9. Meanwhile slice the Eggplant into 1/4 inch slices and sprinkle liberally with Kosher Salt and wait for the seeds to weep away their bitter dark liquid...about 20 minutes.
    10. *It needs to be Kosher Salt for it's drawing action to pull the bitterness out.*
    11. Rinse Eggplant slices, pat dry and brush with olive oil.
    12. Fry Bacon and set aside then use some of the drippings to brown the onions and garlic and set aside, then eggplant slices (1 or 2 at a time) to desired color and doneness, ...if a splash of red wine gets in there would be nice.
    13. Spread the cooked eggplant mixture, onions and garlic over the baked cheese pasta tart.
    14. Distribute the canned stewed tomatoes, bacon, and olives.
    15. Pour on the remaining tomato juice. You might want to check the pasta for thickness and tenderness depending on how thin you rolled it...you may splash some tomato juice under the pasta and add a little extra if necessary.
    16. Put Lasagna tart back in oven for 15 minutes.
    17. Dry Toast Pine nuts or in butter.
    18. Slice Lasagna and stack a few sices on each plate.
    19. Top with Pine Nuts.
    20. More Cheese (Mozzarella) if you desire.

    Similar Recipes

    Reviews

    • Bobby Lovera
      Bobby Lovera
      Alright...Now at the restaurant we like to serve it welded.
      We stack a slice of this and a slice of Mozzarella 3 layers high with another slice of Mozzarella on top..then we microwave it for 20 seconds to weld it. Then we tease the top with a Benzomatic blowtorch to give it the toasted look. A pinch of chopped parsley and a ladle of red sauce around the plate completes the presentation.
      But don't tell Mama we changed her recipe! LOL

      Comments

      • Judit Hogya Demcsak
        Judit Hogya Demcsak
        It looks fantastic and very tasty!:)
        1 reply
        • Bobby Lovera
          Bobby Lovera
          Thank You!
          Its very easy if you want to use premade Lasagna Noodles.
          Rolling out the dough thin enough to make a no-boil pasta takes a little practice.
          Of course the homeade pasta has better flavor.
        • K. Garner
          K. Garner
          Hi Bobby, I'm in the middle of making this and I removed the cheese tart out of oven, and it's not set. I assume this is okay? Thanks for your thoughts. --Katie
          8 replies
          • Bobby Lovera
            Bobby Lovera
            I like mine soft...like lasagna...soft and warm and moist.
            There's no problem...but it does firm up a little as it cools.
            Taste it...you're going to cook a little longer after you add the rest.
            • Bobby Lovera
              Bobby Lovera
              Its no big deal to scoop out the cheese filling whisk in an egg yolk and spread it back in...then a few minutes in the oven and it will be firm...
              But I like the cheese soft when I make it.
            • Bobby Lovera
              Bobby Lovera
              So how you doing? Warm Gooey Cheese sounds good! The filling is mostly cheese so it can be soft while its warm.
              • K. Garner
                K. Garner
                Indeed. Thank you. It did firm up as it cooled. Because I couldn't keep the garlic from getting charred, I ended up baking most of the eggplant. Since I had an open can of tomato paste, I added a heaping tablespoon of it to the onions; also had extra stock, so I added it to the pan as well, let it simmer, and when the oven eggplant were ready, threw those in with the sauce (which tasted like oniony tomato soup by the way). Then I added everything else on top, per your directions. Stepped out for a while and just put it in the oven. I'm looking forward to tasting it. Thanks!
                • Bobby Lovera
                  Bobby Lovera
                  Now that sounds good too! There's nothing unusual in the recipe or your variation.
                  Are you going to weld it with mozzarella too?
                  • K. Garner
                    K. Garner
                    It was good, Bobby. I didn't roll out the dough thin enough and didn't add sauce underneath the cooked "crust" afterward, so it was a little tough, but still tasty. I didn't weld it with mozzarella. It was colorful and pretty without it, and I don't have the tool. I'll upload a pic I took, when I get the chance. Thanks a bunch!
                  • Bobby Lovera
                    Bobby Lovera
                    I found a way to reword the sautee procedure...and mentioned your substitution in the recipe.
                    Wish I had a bite of Karen's Sicilian Lasagna right now!
                    • K. Garner
                      K. Garner
                      That sounds good. Wish I had just done that to begin with but no matter.
              • judee
                judee
                Interesting and rich recipe . Love all the eggplant in it.
                • Bobby Lovera
                  Bobby Lovera
                  Of course you can use boiled Lasagna Pasta....or Eggroll/Wonton wrappers.

                  This is easy one layer Lasagna..just stack it however high you want it after cooking.

                  Leave a review or comment