Lunch: Eggplant and Ground Beef Lasagna

Recipe by Bethany T. I couldn't decide if I wanted lasagna or moussaka the other night; this came out as a yummy combo of the two! Spinach lasagna noodles work well in this if you can get them. Also, try ground lamb in place of the beef for another varia

Ingredients

9 lasagna noodles
1/2 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
4 fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian-flavored crushed tomatoes
1 eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cups mozzarella and cheddar cheese blend

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Grease the bottom and sides of 9x13 inch baking dish.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the lasagna noodles at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 10 minutes; drain and set aside.
Cook and stir ground beef, onion, mushrooms, and garlic in a skillet over medium heat until the beef is completely browned, about 10 minutes.
Stir canned tomatoes into ground beef; simmer until sauce has formed, 3 to 4 minutes.
Pour about one-fourth of the sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Layer noodles on top of sauce.
Spread a thin layer of sauce on top of noodles.
Place a layer of eggplant slices on top of noodle and sauce layer.
Sprinkle about one-fourth of the cheese on top of eggplant slices.
Repeat layering with remaining ingredients, until ending with a layer of sauce topped with remaining cheese.
Bake in preheated oven until cheese is bubbly and brown on top, about 40 minutes.