
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup basil leaves in strips
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes with their juice (one 16- ounce can)
- 2 mediums eggplants
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 pound ziti
- 2 large zucchini
Instructions:
- Peel the eggplants. Cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices, sprinkle with salt and put in a colander to drain. Pat dry. Slice the zucchini.
- In a skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil and fry the eggplant and zucchini until browned on both sides. Take them out of the pan and drain on paper towels.
- Lowfat Variation: spray eggplant and zucchini with olive oil and bake at 450F until brown. about 15 mins.
- Cook the ziti in boiling salted water. Drain and set aside.
- In a saucepan, heat the remaining 1/4 cup oil. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Pour into the bowl with the drained ziti.
- Rub two shallow baking pans with olive oil. In the first pan, put 1/4 of the ziti, then 1/4 of the eggplant and zucchini. Dot with butter, add 1/4 of the mozzarella and then 1/4 of the Parmesan. Repeat the layers in that pan and do the same in the second pan.
- Bake one of the pans in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes until the top is brown and crusty. Cover the other pan tightly with aluminum foil and freeze. Defrost before baking. Each pan will make 4 to 6 servings.
- Yield: “2 packages”
- NOTES : Here's a casserole to make from scratch when you have the time. Then freeze half the recipe, and you'll have a homemade frozen dinner another night.
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