This low carb eggplant lasagna uses no pasta noodles and has no meat, making it a delicious healthy vegetarian meal.
Eggplant is one of those slightly uncommon vegetables that I really enjoy. Even though you can find it pretty easily in most larger grocery stores, sometimes they don't seem very fresh.
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Low Carb Eggplant Lasagna
However, recently I saw these beauties in Trader Joes and I knew I had to make something with them. I decided to make a low carb eggplant lasagna which means it contains no pasta. The eggplant itself acts as the noodle.
I also decided to skip the meat in this lasagna. If you are doing low carb meat is okay but I really didn't think it was necessary. In fact, I was extremely pleased with just how delicious this dish turned out.
Homemade Marinara Sauce
It's pretty easy to make your own homemade marinara but this is also a place where you could substitute your favorite jarred sauce if you are in a hurry. Still, I think the 25 minutes it takes to make this sauce is worth it.
One of the issues with eggplant is water. You really need to cook them first to get rid of some of the water. In fact, although I loved the taste of this eggplant lasagna it was a little watery at first.
Also, the fresh eggplant I bought had a really nice thin skin. If the skin was darker and thicker I would have peeled it off before slicing it.
You layer this lasagna just like any other using the eggplant slices as the noodles.
Variations:
- Pesto sauce
- Cooked ground beef
- Italian sausage
- Variations of cheese (fresh mozzarella, asiago, romano)
Not sure, just try my version to see how you like it first.
If I had to change something it might be the amount of shredded cheese. So if you are looking to scale down the calories I'd start there and perhaps make sure you use a low-fat ricotta.
One important note: If your lasagna is layered to the top of the pan make sure you set it on a cookie sheet before placing it in the oven. As you can see there is a good chance that it will bubble over.
I say that this recipe makes six servings. They are nice healthy size servings but you could go 4 or 9 with this 8 x 8 inch pan.
It would all depend on your appetite, the kind of function you are serving it and how many other things you will be serving with this yummy low carb eggplant lasagna.
P.S. You may also enjoy this super easy Vegetable Lasagna or this traditional Ever-expanding Lasagna with meat. You can find them and much more on my Recipes Page.
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Low Carb Eggplant Lasagna
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- A pound ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
- 2 cups Italian cheese blend
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3.5 cups marinara sauce
Marinara Sauce
- 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 4 cloves of garlic crushed or grated
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the marinara by heating the olive oil on medium heat in a med-large saucepan.
- Add garlic for about 30 seconds (don't let it burn)
- Remove garlic and set aside
- Then add the crushed tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to low heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove tops and bottom of eggplant and slice thin lengthwise.
- Place eggplant slices on a cookie sheet and brush with oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt.
- Broil for about 5 minutes on each side until golden.
- In a mixing bowl combine ricotta, lightly beaten egg, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Spray a 8 x 8 inch baking pan.
- Add some of the marinara to the bottom of the pan.
- Next layer 1/2 of the eggplant slices.
- Sprinkle 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese on top.
- Followed by 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture.
- Top with 1/2 of the remaining marinara.
- Sprinkle 1/2 of the Italian cheese blend on top.
- Repeat with eggplant.
- Cover with foil, place on a cookie sheet, and bake for 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
- Remove foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let rest for 20 mins.
Notes
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although attempts have been made to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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