Eggplant Lasagna

Here's a recipe that I absolutely love. I've added to it a little and have noted the additions at the bottom so you can leave them out if you want to try the original recipe!

1 tbs olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

4 large tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 medium eggplant, thinly sliced

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 jar marinated artichokes

Important Tip: To remove the bitterness from the eggplants, slice and salt them, letting the juices drain away for 20 minutes in a colander. (I usually let the eggplant sit closer to an hour and drain and it really does make a difference!). Rinse away the salt and then prepare the recipe as directed.

Preheat oven to 425F. Coat baking dish with margarine or butter. In a skillet saute onions and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add tomatoes, basil, oregano and salt. Saute until tender. Spread 1/4 of tomato mixture into greased baking dish. Place one layer of eggplant over tomato mixture. Sprinkle with 1/4 of cheese. Continue to layer tomato mixture, eggplant, and cheese. Cover and bake for 25 minutes or until eggplant is tender. Uncover and bake until cheese is light brown.

My addition: The artichoke is an optional add-on that I came up with while I was playing around with this recipe. I also usually add more basil and oregano than the recipe calls for, along with extra garlic salt (which also isn't part of the recipe). I also usually only layer this recipe twice (my layers must be thicker because they fill up the entire pan).