This easy vegetarian eggplant lasagna recipe layers roasted eggplant with homemade tomato sauce and gooey, melty cheese! NO noodles, no breading, no frying, so it's low carb and gluten free!
Let's make a vegetarian eggplant lasagna recipe with one caveat: NO lasagna noodles! We just want luscious eggplant slices, roasted until they are melty and creamy inside.
We're going to use my homemade tomato sauce recipe as a base, and layer with a blend of cheeses!
No breading, no frying! Which makes it gluten free, yes, but also means it's light and easy to prepare. It's a great low carb alternative to traditional lasagna. Perfect for peak summer feasts or makes a great, comforting freezer meal to store for colder months.
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Ingredients for eggplant lasagna
- Eggplant: For this classic eggplant lasagna recipe, look for firm eggplant with smooth skin that aren't too big. If they are too large, they tend to be all seeds in the middle and we don't want that since we are using the eggplant instead of lasagna noodles.
- Whole milk mozzarella cheese: We want whole milk mozzarella so the cheese will be extra melty!
- Fontina cheese: Fontina is an Italian cheese with a slight nuttiness and a creamy texture. It will give our cheesy filling an extra creaminess and really complement the mozzarella.
- Parmesan cheese: As I always say, use the REAL parmigiano reggiano and grate it yourself. The flavor and texture are so much better.
- San Marzano tomatoes: We're going to make our own tomato sauce, so let's use the best tomatoes. Real San Marzano. I like Cento brand.
- Garlic and crushed red pepper: These are the aromatics that will give us umami and spice.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Use a good olive oil, but one made for cooking. Don't waste the special ones that you would use for salad dressing or dipping breads.
- Fresh basil: If you can grow your own basil, or get it from the farmer's market, that is best.
- Kosher salt
Substitutions
- If you can't find fontina, use all mozzarella.
- You can absolutely use store-bought marinara sauce instead of making your own.
- Want to make it vegan? Substitute vegan cheese!
Ingredient tip
There is no ricotta cheese in this low carb eggplant lasagna recipe. Ricotta has a lot of moisture, and since we don't have any pasta noodles to soak it up, we are not using it.
How to make vegetarian eggplant lasagna
Step 1: Slice, salt, and drain the eggplant (to remove moisture)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line three sheet pans with parchment paper.
Use a good chef's knife and slice the stem end off of the eggplant. Then cut a thin slice of the skin off one side, so that you have a narrow, flat surface.
If using a mandoline, place the flat side of the eggplant down, and cut the eggplant longways into ยฝ inch thick slices. Be sure to use the guard to protect your fingers. (If using a knife, place the flat side of the eggplant on a cutting board and carefully slice longways into planks.)
Lay the eggplant slices out on sheet pans and season with salt generously on both sides. Then transfer to a bowl or colander to drain for 30 minutes. This is a very important step! Don't skip it! See tips.
Step 2: Roast the eggplant
Once the eggplant has drained, lay the slices flat on a dish towel, place another towel on top and blot dry. They should be kind of floppy now that they have given up a lot of their water.
Transfer the slices to the parchment lined sheet pans. Use a pastry brush to coat both sides generously with olive oil from edge to edge.
Place in the oven and roast eggplant for 30 to 35 minutes, flipping slices over and rotating pans halfway through. The slices should be soft and just barely getting golden. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.
Step 3: Grate the cheeses
While the eggplant is draining, grate the fontina, mozzarella and parmesan with a box grater. Mix the mozzarella and fontina together, keep the parmesan separate.
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Step 4: Make the tomato sauce
While the eggplant roasts, make the sauce. Transfer the can of San Marzano tomatoes to a bowl and crush them by hand, removing any hard stems that remain. Use a microplane grater to grate the garlic cloves.
Add the olive oil to a wide deep skillet or casserole pan and once shimmering, add the grated garlic and crushed red pepper. Stir for one minute until the garlic is fragrant, but not browning.
Add the tomatoes to the pan. Fill the empty can about ยผ of the way with water and swirl it around, then add that to the pan. Turn the heat up to medium high until bubbling, then turn the heat back to medium, stirring frequently, preferably with a wooden spoon for about 20 minutes.
Step 5: Layer the eggplant lasagna and bake!
Once the sauce is finished and the eggplant are done roasting, it's time to layer the lasagna!
- Layer 1: Scoop โ of the sauce into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Place one layer of roasted eggplant slices on top, tearing them in half if needed to squeeze into all the spots with visible sauce. Add ยผ cup of parmesan, ยฝ of the shredded mozzarella and fontina mixture, and a few basil leaves.
- Layer 2: Half of the remaining sauce, more eggplant, ยผ cup grated parmesan, all of the remaining mozzarella/fontina mixture, a few basil leaves.
- Final layer: Eggplant, remaining sauce, remaining parmesan.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the parmesan is just starting to get golden on top. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
FAQ
No, you do not need to peel the eggplant when making this vegetarian lasagna. It is edible, adds a nice texture to the dish, and leaving the peel on makes layering the eggplant much easier because it holds its shape once roasted.
If your lasagna is watery it could be from two different things. First, you must salt the eggplant after you slice it to release some of the water content, and you must roast it until it softens and is getting golden. If the eggplant is still a bit raw before layering, it still has water to release, and it will make the lasagna watery. Second, be sure to cook the tomato sauce down for the full 20 minutes. We're letting water evaporate as well as concentrating the flavor of the tomatoes.
Vegetarian eggplant lasagna makes a great freezer meal as long as you prepare the roasted eggplant as I've directed and bake it first! (Salt and drain, then ensure eggplant is coated with olive oil when roasted at high heat so it gives up all its water.) Bake as directed, allow to cool, then refrigerate overnight. Cover tightly and place in the freezer for up to two months. To reheat, cover with aluminum foil and place in a 350 degree oven until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted.
Tips for making the best vegetarian eggplant lasagna
Are you ready to make this easy eggplant lasagna? Follow these foolproof tips!
- It's very important to salt the eggplant slices and wait for them to drain. This helps them to release excess moisture before roasting, and prevents the lasagna from being watery. Don't skip this step!!
- For the best texture, it's important to get the eggplant slices coated with olive oil from edge to edge, so I'd really recommend getting a pastry brush. But if you don't have one, just slather it on with your fingers! (Fun!)
- I prefer to buy blocks of cheese and grate it myself on a box grater. This ensures the cheese is fresh and melts until it's super gooey and delicious! Pre-grated cheese can get dried out and is coated with anti-caking agents so it may not melt as well.
- Slicing the eggplant on a mandoline will ensure that they are all exactly the same width so they'll cook evenly.
Make ahead, storage, reheat
- To prepare ahead: You can roast the eggplant and make the sauce one day ahead, then assemble and bake. You can also make it and bake it one day ahead. Reheat it in a 350 degree oven until the sauce is bubbling and the center is hot.
- Storage for leftovers: Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- To reheat: Reheat leftovers at 350 degrees F in an oven safe baking dish covered with foil until warmed through and the cheese and sauce are bubbling.
What to serve with eggplant lasagna
Start with a simple Massaged Kale Salad. These Crispy Pan Fried Brussels Sprouts can be prepared quickly and easily while the lasagna is baked. Finish the meal with Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies!
More vegetarian recipes
- If you like this eggplant lasagna idea, you'll also love Zucchini Parmigiana, which uses roasted zucchini instead of pasta noodles and smoked mozzarella cheese.
- This Grilled Eggplant Sandwich continues our theme of eggplant, tomatoes, cheese, and basil and tastes like peak summer!
- You can use this same simple tomato sauce to make Penne all'Arrabbiata.
This eggplant lasagna recipe is vegetarian, gluten free, simple and delicious!
- No lasagna noodles means it's gluten free so everyone can enjoy!
- It's vegetarian, and loaded with amazing flavor from perfectly roasted eggplant and a tangy tomato sauce.
- Simple recipe and method, just 8 ingredients and about 4 steps.
- It's keto friendly and a low carb lasagna!
- Make it in summer when eggplant is in season and freeze a batch for later! You can also enjoy it year round!
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Recipe
Eggplant Lasagna Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 pounds eggplant about 3 medium eggplants
- 3 ounces grated whole milk mozzarella
- 3 ounces grated fontina cheese
- 1 ½ cups grated parmesan cheese about 3¾ ounces
- 28 ounces San Marzano tomatoes
- ¼ cup olive oil plus more for roasting the eggplant
- 3 cloves garlic
- pinch crushed red pepper optional
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more for the eggplant
Instructions
- Note: I've written these instructions so that you can multitask while making this recipe. Grate the cheese while the eggplant drains, make the sauce while the eggplant roasts, etc. So it may seem like I'm going back and forth between things, but if you do it this way, it will be stress-free and take less time.
Roast the eggplant
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line three sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Use a good chef's knife and slice the stem end off of the eggplant. Then cut a thin slice of the skin off one side, so that you have a narrow, flat surface.
- If using a mandoline, place the flat side of the eggplant down, and slice the eggplant longways into planks about ½ inch thick. Be sure to use the guard to protect your fingers. (If using a knife, place the flat side of the eggplant on a cutting board and carefully slice longways into planks.)
- Lay the eggplant slices out on sheet pans and salt both sides. Then transfer to a bowl or colander to drain for 30 minutes. This is a very important step! Don't skip it! See note below.
- Once the eggplant has drained, lay the slices flat on a dish towel, place another towel on top and blot dry. They should be kind of floppy now that they have given up a lot of their water. Transfer the slices to the parchment lined sheet pans. Use a pastry brush to coat both sides generously with olive oil from edge to edge.
- Place in the oven to roast for 30 to 35 minutes, flipping slices over and rotating pans halfway through. The slices should be soft and just barely getting golden. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.
Grate the cheese
- While you wait for the eggplant to drain, grate all three cheeses on a box grater. Mix the mozzarella and fontina together. Keep the parmesan separate.
Make the sauce
- While the eggplant roasts, make the sauce. Transfer the can of San Marzano tomatoes to a bowl and crush them by hand, removing any hard stems that remain. Use a microplane grater to grate the garlic cloves.
- Add ¼ cup of olive oil to a wide deep skillet or casserole pan and once shimmering, add the grated garlic and crushed red pepper. Stir for one minute until the garlic is fragrant, but not browning.
- Add the tomatoes to the pan. Fill the empty can about ¼ of the way with water and swirl it around, then add that to the pan. Turn the heat up to medium high until bubbling, then turn the heat back to medium, stirring frequently, preferably with a wooden spoon for about 20 minutes.
Layer the lasagna and bake!!
- Layer 1: Scoop ⅓ of the sauce into a 9" x 13" casserole dish. Place one layer of eggplant on top, tearing slices in half if needed to squeeze into all the spots with visible sauce. Add ¼ cup of parmesan, ½ of the mozzarella/fontina mixture and a few basil leaves.
- Layer 2: Half of the remaining sauce, more eggplant, ¼ cup of parmesan, all of the remaining mozzarella/fontina mixture, a few basil leaves.
- Layer 3: Eggplant, remaining sauce, remaining parmesan.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the parmesan is just starting to get golden on top. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- It's very important to salt the eggplant slices and wait for them to drain. This helps them to release their water before roasting, and prevents the lasagna from being watery. Don't skip this step!!
- For the best texture, it's important to get the eggplant slices coated with olive oil from edge to edge, so I'd really recommend getting a pastry brush. But if you don't have one, just slather it on with your fingers! (Fun!)
- I prefer to buy blocks of cheese and grate it myself on a box grater. This ensures the cheese is fresh and melts until it's super gooey and delicious! Pre-grated cheese can get dried out and is coated with anti-caking agents so it may not melt as well.
- Slicing the eggplant on a mandoline will ensure that they are all exactly the same width so they'll cook evenly.
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