Israeli Couscous Lasagna

Greg doesn't often have set requests of what he wants me to make. However, after coming back from a catering gig one night, he couldn't stop talking about this couscous lasagna that he had. I had lots of questions - what makes something a lasagna, what kind of sauce did they use, how did they separate the layers. All of which were answered with a vague "I don't know, it was good and cheesy".

Ok, then! Apparently I had complete creative license on this request. And so, I came up with this "lasagna". Made with layers of Israeli couscous, a healthy eggplant tomato spread, and mozarella cheese, it turned out surprisingly lasagna like but also felt a little lighter and healthier than the standard version.

Working with eggplant has been a hit or miss affair for me in the past. So I also wanted to use this recipe as a chance to use some advice that I’ve gotten about it recently, which I’d like to share here.

In some recipes you see information about “salting” the eggplant. It takes a little passive time (and planning) so I often skip it, however on “The Splendid Table” podcast that I was listening to the other day the host explained that this step serves to remove some of the bitter juices that are often found in eggplant. Aha! That might explain some of my issues in the past.

So before starting my eggplant sauce this time I salted the eggplant. Here’s what I did:

- Cut eggplant lengthwise into ½ inch thick slices (as seen in the picture below)
- Sprinkle both sides generously with salt and lay eggplant slices on a clean towel
- Top with another clean towel and then weight down with a skillet and some heavy kitchen items
- Let sit for about an hour (some water will soak out)
- Rinse eggplant slices and pat dry before using

For this recipe I then chopped up the eggplant with the other veggies and laid them out together on a large baking sheet (see directions in recipe).


Just as a quick note, Israeli coucous IS different than the regular couscous you might find. Like coucous, it’s actually a pasta but comes in bigger pearls than the small regular couscous. It is great for making grain salads and has a wonderful texture. The one thing I will say is that I haven’t found a whole grain version yet, so I don’t use it very often. I have a feeling that barley could be substituted in the recipe though too!

Israeli Couscous Lasagna

Serves 6

Couscous
2 cups Israeli couscous

2 1/2 cups water

Sauce

1 large eggplant

2 red bell peppers

1 sweet white onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

Spray olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Juice 1/2 lemon

1 small ball fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced (7 oz, soft Buffalo di Mozarella from Trader Joe's)

Slice eggplant in 1/2 inch thick strips lengthwise. Sprinkle liberally on each side with salt. Place eggplant on a clean towel. Cover with another towel and top with a weighted skillet (fill with heavy kitchen bottles or weights or bricks). Let sit about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

After eggplant has sat, rinse off and blot dry with a towel. Dice eggplant slices into 1/2 inch cubes. Dice bell peppers and onion into 1/2 ince dice as well.

Place diced veggies in a bowl and toss with garlic. Spread on a large baking sheet and spray generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss together again.
Place in oven and roast veggies for about 45 minutes.

Bring water and couscous to a boil in a medium saucepan with a sprinkle of salt. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until water is absorbed, about 10 minutes.

Remove roasted veggies to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add in lemon juice, a little more salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes. Blend until smooth.

Turn oven down to 350 degrees.

Spray the bottom of a medium baking dish with olive oil. Remove 1/2 of couscous from the saucepan and spread into the bottom of the dish. Spread 1/2 eggplant spread (it will be kind of thing, you can make it easier to spread my adding a little water and blending if you want) and then top with 1/2 sliced mozarella. Add next layer of couscous, spread, and cheese.

Put lasagna dish into oven and bake for 10 minutes, until warmed through and cheese is melted.

Nutrition Analysis (Approximate):
Calories: 358
Fat: 7.4 g
Carbohydrates: 55 g

Fiber: 6.7 g
Protein: 17.4 g