We love eggplant ... and use it in lots of ways, It's so good and nice and meaty. Instead of boiling/blanching the eggplant - we usually slice it and then roast in a hot oven -- along with onion, and whatever other veggies we plan to use. You can use about a tablespoons of oil to drizzle over - or spray with something like Pam. And thisis for a BIG roasting pan. If they're around - we layer (after roasting) - eggplant, onion, garlic, peppers and mushrooms. By having this many veggies - we can cut down on the cheese and still come up with a good tasting lasagna. Oh we season the veggies with a wee bit of salt and some freshly ground black pepper.