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Who needs pasta when you can make veggie noodles? In this irresistible eggplant lasagna, we swap traditional lasagna sheets (sfoglia) for thin, tender slices of eggplant. It’s low-carb, gluten-free, and loaded with cheesy, hearty goodness—vegetarian comfort food with a healthy twist!
save this recipe!Your Go-To Comfort Meal
Sometimes, you just need lasagna—the kind of cheesy comfort food that only a layered casserole can bring. But why stick to a classic vegetarian lasagna recipe when switching things up is so fun?
Enter eggplant lasagna: a veggie-packed, gluten-free twist I’m obsessed with. It’s mouthwatering, savory, and perfectly gooey. Tender slices of eggplant make the perfect lasagna sheets (similar to my zucchini lasagna), and the bolognese has the texture of a meat sauce but is completely vegetarian!
Reader rating
“I made this in place of my regular meat sauce lasagna. I used diced tomatoes in my tomato sauce to make it chunkier. My grandkids loved it and did not know there was no meat in the sauce just that there were no meatballs. it is a winner in my book.” —Dino
Grab These Ingredients
This low-carb eggplant lasagna is one of my go-to vegetarian dinners. It contains just three components: eggplant, bolognese, and ricotta. Jump to the recipe card for exact measurements—this is only an overview!
- Eggplant: For the eggplant “noodles,” we’ll just need three ingredients: eggplant slices (obviously), salt, and olive oil. Salting the eggplant removes bitterness and moisture. It also helps to create a firmer lasagna in the end!
- Sauce: We’ll make a vegetarian bolognese Instead of meat sauce. For this portion of the recipe, you’ll need olive oil, garlic, marinara sauce, basil, salt, crushed red peppers, and button mushrooms.
- Ricotta Mixture: Lastly, we’ll make our own version of bechamel. While lasagna is often made with this white sauce, I like using a ricotta mixture because it’s easier to prep (and keeps things gluten-free!). Grab some ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, spinach, an egg, oregano, and salt for a creamy, cheesy finish.
Recipe Tips
Don’t Skip Salting: Salting your eggplant is a crucial first step! Without it, the eggplant will become soggy and mushy. Properly “sweat” the slices to remove moisture, resulting in firm eggplant lasagna noodles.
Layer As Directed: Packing all your ingredients into just two separate layers may be tempting, but don’t. Doing so could prevent your dish from cooking properly. Take the extra few minutes to create the correct amount of layers. Your tastebuds will thank you!
Customize The Flavors: Love spice? Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to your sauce. Prefer extra cheese? Go ahead and sprinkle on an extra layer. This eggplant lasagna is endlessly customizable, so make it your own!
Pair This With
If you want some tasty vegetarian sides (and desserts) that pair extremely well with this eggplant lasagna, feel free to whip up any of the following!
- Herby Ricotta Stuffed Peppers: These savory, cheesy bites are packed with Italian herbs (and they’re a great way to use up extra ricotta stuffing).
- Vegan Panna Cotta: This is a delicious Italian dessert option (and no one will know it’s completely dairy-free!).
No-Noodle Eggplant Lasagna
Ingredients
Eggplant
- 3 medium eggplants
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, 30 mL
Sauce
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, 15 mL
- 3 cups diced mushrooms, 225 g
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 24-oz jar marinara sauce*, 680 g
- 2 Tbsp sliced fresh basil
- ½ tsp salt
- Pinch of crushed red pepper
Ricotta Mixture
- 1 15-oz package ricotta cheese, 425 g
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided, 200 g
- 1 cups shredded parmesan cheese, divided, 100 g
- 1 10-oz package frozen spinach, thawed, 283 g
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp oregano
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Sweat The Eggplant: Cut 3 medium eggplants lengthwise into ⅛-inch slices (this is easiest with a mandolin slicer). Sprinkle slices evenly with 1 tsp salt on both sides, then set on a few layers of paper towels and set aside for 15 minutes. When finished, firmly pat eggplant as dry as possible with paper towels.
- Precook The Eggplant: Preheat oven to broil. Brush eggplant slices on both sides with 2 Tbsp olive oil, then broil for 3 to 5 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking, until the eggplant is tender and slightly browned. You may need to work in batches. When finished, remove the eggplant from the oven and set the temperature to 350°F (175°C).
- Sauce: Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add 6 cloves garlic (minced) and 3 cups diced mushrooms, cooking uncovered until mushrooms sweat out their moisture, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add 1 24-oz jar marinara sauce*, 2 Tbsp sliced fresh basil, ½ tsp salt, and Pinch of crushed red pepper. Cover and let simmer gently for about 10 minutes, while you prepare the rest.
- Ricotta: Stir together 1 15-oz package ricotta cheese, half of the mozzarella, half of the parmesan, 1 10-oz package frozen spinach (thawed), 1 large egg, ½ tsp oregano, and ¼ tsp salt.
- Assemble: In a 9×9-inch (or similar size) casserole dish, layer – ⅓ of the sauce > ⅓ of the eggplant > ⅓ of the ricotta mixture > repeat until all ingredients are used. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup mozzarella and ½ cup parmesan.
- Bake: For about 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Loved the recipe, but sorry this does not take 1 hour:( the prep time alone was an hour.
Thanks for letting us know, Sandra!
This was labor intensive, but delicious!! Well worth it!!
I made this in place of my regular meat sauce lasagna. I used diced tomatoes in my tomato sauce to make it chunkier. My grandkids loved it and did not know there was no meat in the sauce just that there were no meatballs. it is a winner in my book.
Actually, it is more of a vegetarian Moussaka than a Lasagna.
My wife’s speciality.
So darn delicious!!! 😋🥰Made 3 meals for 2 people out of it. Bravo Sarah!!!
So happy to hear it was a hit, Caroline! 😀
This was delicious, and I’m glad to finally have a healthier eggplant parmesan recipe! But the time estimate for the prep is way off. This took about an hour to prep everything, and I’m an experienced cook. There now have been a few reviews saying the same thing — please consider adjusting your prep time up from 30 minutes in the recipe here so people have a more accurate expectation of the time necessary to make this.