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eggplant lasagna served on white plate

Eggplant Lasagna

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 4 servings
This eggplant lasagna has delicious layers of melted cheese, savory eggplant slices, and a rich meat sauce with spinach. Without lasagna noodles, it's perfect for anyone on a gluten free or low carb diet.

Ingredients

Roasting Eggplant:

  • 1 medium eggplant (1 pound)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Meat Sauce:

  • 1 pound lean ground beef (Note 1)
  • 15-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 5-ounce package fresh spinach leaves, chopped (Note 2)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

Other:

  • 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (Note 3)
  • 2 large eggs, beaten (Note 4)

Instructions

  • Prepare Eggplant: Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut off and discard eggplant's ends. Stand eggplant vertically, and cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices, resulting in about 14 slices (Note 5).
  • Bake Eggplant: Arrange eggplant slices in single layer on two baking half sheets (Note 6) lined with parchment paper. Brush tops with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 F for 7 minutes, flip eggplant slices, and bake another 7 minutes (Note 7). Cool at room temperature; meanwhile, proceed to next step.
  • Make Meat Sauce: Add olive oil to coat bottom of high-sided pan (Note 8) over medium heat. Add ground beef, crumbling meat and cooking until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat, then gradually reduce heat as needed to maintain simmer. Simmer until sauce is noticeably thicker (Note 9), about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in oregano, salt, and cayenne. Stir in spinach until wilted, a few minutes. Turn off heat.
  • Assemble Lasagna: Arrange eggplant slices along bottom of 8x8 inch baking dish (Note 10), slightly overlapping in criss-cross pattern. Evenly pour about half of meat sauce over eggplant layer. Add 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese on top of meat sauce. Repeat with another eggplant layer, meat sauce layer, and cheese layer. Top with remaining eggplant slices. Evenly pour beaten eggs on top. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese on top.
  • Bake Lasagna: Bake uncovered at 400 F until lasagna is heated through and bubbling up sides, about 15 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes before slicing, then serve (Note 11).

NUTRITION

Makes 4 Servings
Amount Per Serving:
Calories 520 (57% from fat)  
Total Fat 33g 50%
   Saturated Fat 12g 61%
Cholesterol 195mg 65%
Sodium 1000mg 42%
Net Carb 11g  
Total Carb 18g 6%
   Dietary Fiber 7g 28%
   Sugars 8.5g  
Protein 36g  
Vitamin A 67% · Vitamin C 18% · Calcium 36% · Iron 28%

PHOTOS

eggplant lasagna served on white plate
cooking meat sauce in nonstick pan
adding eggplant planks to eggplant lasagna
adding meat sauce to eggplant lasagna
adding shredded mozzarella to eggplant lasagna
baked eggplant lasagna in glass dish
partial eggplant lasagna in glass casserole dish

NOTES & TIPS

(1) Ground Beef. I use 90% lean. If you use less than 90%, you may want to drain off some of the grease after browning to avoid an overly greasy dish. If you don't have beef, ground turkey is a good substitute.
(2) Spinach. About 3.5 cups chopped. I use fresh raw baby spinach leaves.
(3) Mozzarella Cheese. About 6 ounces weight. I use a bag of pre-shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella, which means the cheese has been dried out for a longer shelf life and better browning.
(4) Eggs. This ingredient is included for improved taste and texture, but can be omitted if you are sensitive to it.
(5) Slicing Eggplant. Before slicing an eggplant into thin planks, cut off both ends so that you have a smooth and flat surface at either side. Then place the eggplant vertically so that it sits stably on a flat base. Cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices that are as uniform as possible. It's fine if some slices have skin. If it's easier, you may start by cutting the eggplant widthwise in half. Your slices will be half as long, but that’s fine if it helps you to cut slices more uniformly.
(6) Baking Sheets. Either two baking half sheets or one extra large one will be needed for the eggplant slices. Otherwise, it will be difficult to fit all of the slices in a single layer. Another option is to bake them in batches.
(7) Baking Eggplant Slices. This step can't be skipped. It’s important to pre-bake the eggplant slices to soften them; otherwise, it would take much longer to cook them in a casserole until tender. While baking the eggplant slices, monitor frequently so that you don't end up with burnt slices. The exact baking time will vary depending on the exact thickness of your slices; it usually takes me about 7 minutes per side.
(8) High Sided Pan. When preparing the meat sauce, I use a large 12-inch nonstick pan. A smaller 10-inch pan will also work if it has high sides. I don’t recommend anything smaller because raw spinach takes up a lot of room.
(9) Thickening Meat Sauce. One easy way to make a subpar lasagna, or any casserole, is to add too much liquid and end up with a soggy version. To avoid this, make sure your meat sauce is thick. Better to err on the side of too thick than too thin. You’ll want to simmer until the meat sauce is noticeably thicker, which can take 5 to 10 minutes. This will also condense the flavors, yielding a richer lasagna.
(10) Baking Dish. I use an 8x8-inch baking dish made with glass so that I can easily see when the lasagna is bubbling up the sides, indicating it’s heated through and ready to remove from the oven.
(11) Serving / Leftovers. Serve warm, with side dishes like almond flour garlic knots, cauliflower fritters, or artichokes with balsamic sauce. Eggplant lasagna leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, and reheated using the microwave or in the oven until warmed through.
(12) Similar Lasagna. If you don't like eggplant, consider making zucchini lasagna, which is also noodle free, gluten free, and low carb.