Classic Eggplant Lasagna Recipe

4.80 from 25 votes

This easy eggplant lasagna recipe is cheesy, delicious and perfect for a weeknight dinner. It's made without the noodles so it's gluten free and low carb.

Prep Time45

Cook Time40

Total Time1 25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 489kcal

Author: Shadi HasanzadeNemati

Ingredients

3 Italian eggplants Washed and dried
2 tablespoon Kosher salt
3 tbsp olive oil divided
1 yellow onion chopped
1 lb ground beef lean
½ teaspoon salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 can tomato sauce 15 oz.
1 can crushed tomatoes 15 oz.
15 oz ricotta cheese
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 large egg
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Trim the top and bottom of the eggplants. Slice the eggplants lengthwise to ¼" thick slices.
Place the eggplant slices on a baking sheet and generously sprinkle with salt on both sides. Let the eggplants sit and "sweat" for about 45 minutes. Then Pat dry them completely and brush with 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil on both sides.
Heat the oven to 400°F and once it's hot, bake the eggplants in the oven for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a large pan and saute onion until golden.
Add in ground beef, salt, pepper, dried oregano and basil and cook it until brown, break it into pieces and you cook it.
Once the ground beef is browned, add in tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes. Cook for a few more minutes. Turn the heat off and set it aside.
In a large bowl, mix ricotta cheese with grated parmesan and egg. Set aside.
Now it's time to assemble your eggplant lasagna. Preheat the oven to 375°F and coat a baking dish with cooking spray. Start by spreading a thin layer of meat sauce at the bottom of the dish. Top with roasted eggplant slices, spread some ricotta cheese mix on the eggplant. add some meat sauce on top, and finish with a thin layer of mozzarella cheese. Repeat these steps until you run out of the beef sauce, eggplant sliced and ricotta mix.
Bake the eggplant lasagna in the oven for 40 minutes until the top gets all golden and bubbly.
Let the lasagna cool for 15 to 20 minutes before you slice it.

Video

Notes

I used a 9x7 pyrex dish for this recipe. You can use any kind of baking dish that you make lasagna in.
Use lean ground beef if possible. 90% lean and higher is strongly preferred. You can also use Italian sausage, ground chicken or ground turkey.
You don't need to peel the eggplants. In fact, it's best not to peel them so the slices keep their shape.
Please don't skip the salting process. It's a very important step when you work with eggplant as it releases the bitter juice and makes eggplant tender.
It's best not to freeze this recipe, but you can make it ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 4 days. To serve, thaw in the fridge and heat in the oven at 300ºF for 25 to 30 minutes.
Same as regular lasagna, it's best to wait for a few minutes for the dish to cool before slicing it.
Store the leftovers in an airtight glass container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Serve this baked eggplant lasagna with some avocado cucumber tomato salad or Mediterranean salad to make a complete meal.

Nutrition