Eggplant Matzo Lasagna

Some of my guests at my Passover Seder were vegetarian, so I tried to make a few dishes for them.  This  matzo lasagna was one of those options.

Of course, if you keep Kosher and are serving meat, you cannot serve this meal.  It's full of cheese! But the cheese is what makes this guy tasty.  I'd probably even add more next time around!

I made the lasagna a day or two earlier but waited until the day of my Seder to bake it.  The matzo soaked up some liquid and it tasted more like pasta.  Definitely the way to go.

Also, I used crushed tomatoes instead of pureed.  I'd probably add sugar next time to counteract the acid from canned crushed tomatoes.

The assembly is really easy, just like a traditional lasagna.  You just stack up the layers!

Once you get to the top layer, you bake it off.  Could it be any easier?  If it wasn't Passover,  you could use no-boil noodles instead.

I have to admit, this wasn't the biggest hit at our Seder.  I think the main reason was that it was cold by the time I served it since we ate outside.  I still liked it a lot and I think it would great if served piping hot!

Eggplant Matzo Lasagna
from my Mom, who I think got it from Cooking Light
Serves 6 for a meal, or 20 as a small side

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups sliced mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes (or tomato puree)
1 large eggplan, cut into 1/2" slices (about 1 1/4 lbs)
Vegetable cooking spray
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese, divided
1 15-oz container nonfat ricotta cheese
3-4 slices unsalted matzo

Instructions
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Stir in wine, basil, oregano, peppers, and puree. Partialy cover, reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 30 minutes. Remove from heat.

Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooing spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, turning the slices over after 15 minutes. Remove from baking sheet, and let cool. Cut the eggplant slices into 1/2 inch pieces, and set aside.

Combine 1/4 cup Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese and ricotta cheese; stir well, and set aside.

Spread 1/2 cup tomato mixture in the bottom of an 11x7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Arrange 1 1/2-2 slices matzo over tomato mixture, and top matzo with half of the cheese mixture, half of the eggplant, and half of the remaining tomato mixture.  Repeat, ending with the tomato mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons grated cheese.

(at this point, you can cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours)

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Peppers

Here is something Mom never made growing up - stuffed peppers.  My dad detests them.  Apparently my grandmother used to make them, but I have little memory of hers.

I tried to make them once last year and failed. Miserably.  The recipe didn't tell you to pre-cook brown rice, claiming it would cook inside the pepper.  It didn't.

This recipe originally called for bulgur (cooked first!), but I used quinoa instead since I already had it. And I love quinoa!

I also kicked up the spice a lot - per usual. I doubled the amount of red pepper flakes and added cayenne pepper.  I loved the extra spice but if you can't handle the heat, feel free to tone it down or omit all together.

The kicker in these peppers were the artichokes.  Artichokes just might be my favorite veggie (are they a veggie?) - I love them fresh but I also love canned hearts.  I could eat them straight out of the can.  And they are a wonderful addition to this recipe.

Yes, I did bake them in a heart shaped pan.  But only because my 8 x 8 inch pan was used for dessert.  I'll let you know what I made soon!

Overall, this was a really great recipe.  The quinoa is nutty, while the cottage cheese and turkey are hardy, and the peppers are sweet. The dish was very filling! And it really isn't that difficult to put together - although it did make a lot more dirty dishes than I would have liked. The hardest part was finding a side dish, since almost every food group - meat, dairy, grain, veg - were all covered by the stuffed pepper.  We ended up eating it with greek salad, which was a great complement.  I recommend you make these. For dinner. Tonight.

Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Peppers
Adapted slightly from Cara's Cravings


Ingredients:
1/4 cup quinoa
4 large red bell peppers
1/2 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 15oz can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, and chopped
1 cup lowfat cottage cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 oz grated pecorino romano cheese, divided
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce (I used Newman's Own Sockarooni) 


Instructions:
In a small saucepan, cook quinoa according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully cut the stems from the peppers and remove the seeds and inner ribs. Cook the peppers in boiling water for about 5 minutes; drain and let cool.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Cook the ground turkey, onion, and garlic in a skillet over medium heat, stirring to break up the ground turkey, until browned. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne, and crushed red pepper. Add the chopped artichoke hearts and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Remove from heat.

In a bowl, combine the ground turkey mixture, cooked quinoa, cottage cheese, basil, parsley, and 3/4 of the pecorino romano cheese; mix well.

Spray an 8x8" baking dish or small casserole. Fill the peppers with the turkey mixture, packing the stuffing in well. Place the peppers in the baking dish and spoon the spaghetti sauce over. Sprinkle with remaining pecorino romano.

Bake, uncovered, for about 25 minutes.