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Lasagna always makes a wonderful treat and what’s even more fun is how many varieties there are. If you want to make a different lasagna recipe but still include those wonderful elements of beef, marinara sauce, ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, and fresh basil, consider this eggplant lasagna which adds juicy eggplant into the mix. This low carb lasagna recipe has the delicious flavor and comfort of a classic lasagna but without any pasta noodles. The roasted eggplant slices are a tasty substitute, so you won’t miss them at all!
Eggplant lasagna is tasty, rich flavored and easy to make too. If you’re a lasagna fan, try this version with juicy eggplant slices in place of lasagna noodles.
If the thought of homemade lasagna makes you weak in the knees, you’ll love lasagna al forno, pepperoni lasagna, or even lasagna soup.
Why You’ll Love It
So delicious: Along with all your favorite lasagna ingredients, such as ground beef, marinara sauce and plenty of cheese, this one has eggplant to make it unusual yet just as delicious as conventional lasagna.
Simple to prepare: To make this delicious eggplant lasagna, you need to roast the eggplant slices, prepare the beef sauce, make the cheese filling, and assemble the eggplant lasagna. All that’s left to do then is bake it.
Great for busy weeknights: You can prepare this eggplant lasagna ahead and then simply pop it in the oven later. That makes it an ideal candidate for dinner on the busiest evening of the week!
Eggplant Lasagna Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Eggplant: The key ingredient in eggplant lasagna.
Ground beef: Lean ground beef is good here.
Marinara sauce: Homemade marinara sauce is good or you can simply buy a jar of your favorite.
Cheese: Ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese ensures plenty of ooey-gooey appeal.
Italian seasoning: This combination of dried herbs is a good all-rounder for Italian recipes like eggplant lasagna.
Garlic: Always a popular flavor. Feel free to add extra!
How to Make Lasagna Using Eggplant
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card
Prepare the eggplant: Slice the eggplant, arrange on paper towels, sprinkle with salt, and add more paper towels and then more eggplant slices. Keep making these layers with eggplant slices, salt and paper towels until you’ve salted all the eggplant. Put something heavy on top and leave for 30 minutes.
Roast the eggplant: Rinse the eggplant slices, arrange them on greased cookie sheets and roast for 15 minutes.
Cook the beef: Cook the beef, onion and garlic, adding salt and pepper to taste.
Make the sauce: Add the marinara sauce and Italian seasoning and simmer for 3 minutes.
Make the ricotta mixture: Drain the ricotta in a paper towel lined colander and then combine with the egg and half the parmesan cheese.
Assemble the eggplant lasagna: Put some of the meat sauce in a greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Add a layer of eggplant slices on top and then add half the ricotta mixture, half the meat sauce and another eggplant layer. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella and repeat the layers, ending with the rest of the mozzarella and parmesan.
Bake it: Bake the eggplant lasagna for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and starting to turn golden. Garnish with fresh basil and serve hot.
Substitutions and Variations
Another protein: Swap the ground beef for ground turkey, chicken or pork. You can also use a mixture of more than one type in this keto eggplant lasagna.
A different sauce: Any tomato sauce will work in this recipe. You can buy one or make your own.
Vegetarian eggplant lasagna: Use a meat alternative or else use extra vegetables (portobella mushrooms are always good) in place of the ground beef.
Spice it up: Add red pepper flakes or a splash of hot sauce to the meat sauce layer.
Keto version: This recipe is already lower in carbs than conventional lasagna but to make it more so, ensure you’re using a sugar-free marinara sauce.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: Start dinnertime with something unusual like a slice of farinata (chickpea pancake) or a light option such as iceberg wedge salad.
Side dishes: If you want to serve something on the side, consider garlic bread or polenta fries.
Dessert: Banana bread coffee cake makes a delicious dessert.
How to Store Eggplant Lasagna
Store: Keep leftovers refrigerated in a covered container and eat within 4 days.
Freeze: You can freeze eggplant lasagna for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Reheat: Warm it back up in the microwave or in a hot oven.
Top Tips
Salt the eggplant: Although you can skip this step, salting the eggplant draws out the bitter flavor a lot of people don’t like.
Drain the ricotta cheese: Put the ricotta in a paper towel lined colander for 5 minutes to drain off the excess moisture (this will stop the eggplant lasagna being too watery).
Let it sit before serving: If you serve the lasagna as soon as it’s cooked, it will be harder to cut into neat squares. It will also be very hot. So it’s best to give it 10 minutes to rest before slicing and serving.
Eggplant Lasagna with Meat FAQs
Not an eggplant fan? You can use zucchini or squash instead. As these don’t have any bitter flavor undertone, you don’t need to salt them.
I love Rao’s marinara sauce and I’ve also heard good things about this Hoboken Farms sauce.
You might prefer to swap half the eggplant for conventional lasagna noodles. If so, make sure you follow the directions on the lasagna noodles package. You can use regular ones or no bake ones.
Roasted Eggplant Lasagna Recipe
Eggplant Lasagna
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants, large, cut lengthwise into ¾-inch thick slices
- 2 Tablespoons sea salt
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Pound ground beef
- ½ Cup onion, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
- ½ Teaspoon black pepper
- 24 Ounces marinara sauce
- 1 Teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 15 Ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- ½ Cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1½ Cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 Tablespoon basil leaves, fresh
Instructions
- Cut the eggplant into thin slices and place on a paper towel lined pan, sprinkle with some salt, then lay another sheet of paper towels over the eggplant and lay another row of eggplant over the paper towels. Sprinkle well with salt. Repeat until all the eggplant has been laid out and salted. Place another sheet of paper towels over the eggplant and put a heavy cutting board or anything else that is heavy to help expel the excess water from the eggplant. Let it drain for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray cookie sheets with cooking spray.
- Pat the eggplant dry and lay on the cookie sheets. Drizzle with some olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes, turning once.
- Cook the beef, onion and garlic together in a pan. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Season with a little salt and pepper. Stir in the marinara sauce and Italian seasoning and bring to a simmer for 3 minutes.
- Drain the ricotta cheese in a paper towel lined colander for 5 minutes.
- Stir the egg and half the parmesan cheese into the ricotta cheese.
- Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray.
- Place a couple of tablespoons of the meat sauce over the bottom of the pan. Lay a row of eggplant slices over the meat sauce.
- Spread half the ricotta sauce over the eggplant, then spoon half of the meat sauce over the ricotta and spread it out. Lay another layer of eggplant over the meat sauce and sprinkle with half the mozzarella.
- Repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients. Top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese begins to lightly brown and the lasagna is bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and serve with some fresh basil.
Notes
Drain the ricotta cheese: Put the ricotta in a paper towel lined colander for 5 minutes to drain off the excess moisture (this will stop the eggplant lasagna being too watery).
Let it sit before serving: If you serve the lasagna as soon as it’s cooked, it will be harder to cut into neat squares. It will also be very hot. So it’s best to give it 10 minutes to rest before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
This absolutely delicious eggplant lasagna is made with juicy roasted eggplant slices, grated parmesan cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, ricotta, marinara sauce, and more. This easy eggplant lasagna recipe makes a wonderful choice for dinner and you can prep it ahead and then just bake it later when you’re ready.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
This eggplant lasagna is amazing! All the lasagna goodness without the pasta—so flavorful!
YUMMMMM! I’ve had this before but your recipe just takes it to another level.