EGGPLANT STACKED SANDWICHES
Ingredients
- 2 Italian sausages [or more]
- 2 jars quality Marinara Sauce [Bertolli]
- 2 T dried Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms [baby Bella]
- 2 medium eggplants [6-8 slices each]
- 12 oz ricotta cheese [part skim]
- 4 oz grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- 1 box frozen spinach cooked & well drained
- olive oil
- additional cheese for topping
Instructions
Sauce
- Brown sausage in a little olive oil in skillet, drain and coarsely chop. Add more oil to pan and saute mushrooms over med high heat until golden. Refrigerate mushrooms until assembly. Put Marinara in slow cooker [sprayed with Pam] and add sausage, Italian seasoning, S&P, and garlic powder to taste. Stir, cover and cook on low 5-6 hours. Freeze leftover sauce for another time.
Assembly
- Remove skin from eggplants and slice into 1” thick rounds. Brush slices lightly with oil and roast at 400 on an oiled, foil lined cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes until golden.
- Make ricotta filling by mixing the ricotta, spinach, & Parmesan and seasoning with S&P.
- Put 1/2 of sauce in the bottom of baking dish or dishes. Place 1/2 of eggplant slices on sauce. Mound ricotta filling on eggplant stack bottoms, dividing evenly among them. Press sauteed mushrooms into the ricotta filling and top with remaining eggplant slices. Top stacks generously with remaining Marinara and sprinkle with more cheese, [Parmesan, mozzarella, jack, fontina]. Cover with an oiled piece of foil [so cheese won’t stick].
- Refrigerate for up to 3 hours before baking at 350 for 30-40 minutes, uncovering after 20 minutes.
- To serve: carefully place 1-2 stacks on each plate and ladle some sauce from pan bottom over or around.
- Serves 6-8
Notes
If you don't want to make the sauce in a slow cooker, you can simmer it on the stove top for 1-2 hours, or make it ahead of time and refrigerate until needed, 2-3 days