Eggplant Torte with Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

As promised, here's a recipe using the Pesto from last night. If you don't want to make your own pesto, go ahead and buy a commercial version - just make sure it doesn't have cheese in it!

For this torte, cut 9 (1/2-inch thick) lengthwise slices of eggplant - you'll probably need about 1 and a half medium-sized eggplant, so save any remainders for another use. Arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt (which I forgot!). Broil for 10 minutes on each side - the eggplant should be lightly browned and tender by the end. Cut each eggplant piece in half crosswise, so you now have 18 pieces total.

Meanwhile, pour 1 cup boiling water over 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed without oil. Let stand for 10 minutes, then drain and finely chop the tomatoes.

At the same time, cook 5 lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and cut each into 3 pieces (so you have 15 pieces of lasagna).

Coat an 8x4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, and line with plastic wrap. Lightly coat the plastic wrap with cooking spray, too. Arrange 5 lasagna pieces on the bottom, and top with three slices of sliced vegan cheese. The original recipe used deli-sliced provolone, so I decided the closest option was the sliced vegan mozzarella from Galaxy Foods.

Spread 2 tablespoons of Pesto over the 'cheese', then top with 9 of the eggplant pieces. Sprinkle with half of the chopped sun-dried tomato. Repeat the layers - 5 more lasagna noodles, 3 more slices of 'cheese', 2 tablespoons Pesto, 9 more eggplant pieces, and the remaining sun-dried tomatoes. End with the final 5 lasagna pieces.

Cover with plastic wrap, letting the edges hang over, then place a second (empty) 8x4-inch loaf pan on top of the torte. Weight down using any 2 (15-ounce) cans from your pantry - canned beans or soups work great!

Refrigerate the torte for at least 8 hours, and up to overnight. When it's time to serve, remove the canned goods, the empty loaf pan, and the top sheet of plastic wrap from the torte. Invert onto a plate or serving platter, and remove the remaining plastic wrap. Slice into 8 slices.

The torte is best served at room temperature - serve it with fresh French bread baguette.

4 slices of torte plus 4 (1/2-inch) slices of French bread make a serving of 250 calories. This dish works equally well as an appetizer, or as the center of the meal if you double the portions!

Cost:
eggplant $6.61
sliced vegan cheese $3.39
French bread baguette $2.29