(Noodle-less) Veggie Parm-sagna

I find it really convenient to make a big dish of something that can be eaten throughout the week or weekend- something easy to prep and then easy to warm up for lunch or dinner! I had frozen Homemade Marinara to use up, so decided to thaw it out and make a yummy Italian dish with whatever vegetables were left in the fridge, and voila! I ended up with a mix between Veggie Parmesan and Veggie Lasagna! I've been eating it for 3 days now, and I'm still not sick of it!

Ingredients & Recipe:

Printable Recipe

• 1 small-medium eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 2-3 bell peppers (get a variety of colors), cut into thirds
• 1-2 fennel bulbs, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1-2 trimmed, flattened chicken breasts (optional)
• olive oil for drizzling
• 3 cups of marinara
• 3 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Begin by heating a grill on medium-high heat. Drizzle all of your vegetables with olive oil and a little S & P. Grill them, 3-4 minutes per side until they have some nice grill marks and are beginning to get soft, set aside on a plate. If you're including chicken, drizzle each breast with olive oil and S & P, and grill about 6 minutes per side (depending on thickness) until cooked through.

For assembly: Lightly spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray and spoon out about 1/2 cup of marinara on the bottom of the dish. If using grilled chicken, arrange it over the sauce, sprinkle with 1/2 cup of cheese- or if not using chicken, first arrange eggplant slices, sprinkle with 1/2 cup of cheese. Next arrange a layer of peppers, topped with 3/4 cup of marinara, sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Arrange fennel slices on top, and cover with remaining sauce, and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Finish by sprinkling bread crumbs over the cheese, drizzling with a light layer of olive oil and bake for about 30-40 minutes until the cheese is gooey and you have a nice crunchy crust on top. Enjoy!

You Could Also Try...

• I made this recipe for a girlfriend a few weeks back. I assembled everything in a smaller disposable foil bread pan so she could freeze it away and bake it up whenever she wants.


• I've also made this recipe with zucchini instead of eggplant, sliced on the bias (diagonals), very delic!