This vegetarian eggplant lasagna recipe has the flavor and comfort of classic lasagna but without the noodles! Low-carb and gluten-free!
My Family’s Eggplant Lasagna
My vegetarian eggplant lasagna carries all the comforting Italian flavors my family loves—three Italian cheeses layered with spinach, fresh herbs, and a bright red sauce—but with one twist. In place of noodles, I use velvety, tender roasted eggplant slices!
A few members of my family have recently become gluten-free, so this recipe hits all the right notes, without sacrificing flavor, and everyone loves it—gluten-free or not.
Admittedly, I’ve never met an eggplant casserole I didn’t enjoy (moussaka, anyone?) And, I’m a big fan of eggplant recipes in any form, which you can see by all the different ways I use it in my cooking!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s great for special diets: Gluten-free, low-carb, and vegetarian.
- Comfort food with a healthy dose of vegetables is always a win.
- Leftovers reheat beautifully.
Eggplant Lasagna Ingredients
- Eggplants (about 1 ½ pounds). You can use either Italian eggplants, which are smaller and not as easy to find in U.S. grocery stores, or globe eggplants, which are easy to find in the U.S., a little larger, and firmer, which helps the lasagna keep its structure. I used globe eggplants when developing this recipe.
- Extra virgin olive oil. Always use quality olive oil because it adds so much flavor and richness to your meals. I like our Italian Nocellara in this recipe because of its buttery smooth finish.
- Kosher salt. I use it to draw out moisture and bitterness from the eggplants.
- Egg helps to bind the cheese mixture together.
- 3 Italian Cheeses. Skim ricotta cheese, skim mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese give this recipe so much flavor and texture, salty, creamy, and gooey.
- Dried oregano has a light citrusy flavor that I just love.
- Spinach adds a healthy dose of freshness and a pop of color.
- Fresh herbs like parsley and basil provide a sweet, herbal note.
- Black pepper adds just a little warmth.
- Pasta sauce use either homemade marinara sauce or store-bought. I will never fault anyone for using a shortcut!
How to Make Eggplant Lasagna
- Slice and salt the eggplant. You want 1/2-inch thick slices (or planks). Salt the eggplant on both sides and leave it alone for 20 minutes or so. (This is totally optional, but I do believe it flavors the eggplant and removes some of the bitterness.) Use a paper towel to pat the eggplant dry and remove excess salt.
- Roast the eggplant. Grab 1 or 2 large sheet pans and brush with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer. Roast in the oven at 400°F for about 20 minutes or until the eggplant is soft and pliable. Roasting breaks eggplant’s spongy texture and concentrates its flavor, turning it into something fragrant, delicate, and almost addictive.
- Make the filling. While the eggplant is roasting, put together the ricotta filling. In a mixing bowl, combine 1 beaten egg with the ricotta (I used part-skim), 1 cup shredded mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan, garlic, oregano, 10 ounces thawed spinach (squeezed to remove excess water), chopped parsley and basil. Season with a bit of kosher salt and black pepper. Mix well to combine.
- Assemble the eggplant lasagna. Into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, add about 1/2 cup pasta sauce on the bottom and spread it. Arrange 4 to 6 eggplant slices on the bottom of the baking dish, its ok if they overlap a little bit; you just want to cover the bottom of the baking dish in a single layer.
- Layer the cheese filling. Spread a layer of the ricotta filling (about 1/2 of it) on top of the eggplant slices, then spread a thin layer of the pasta sauce on top of the cheese filling. Repeat the process in the same pattern until you’re finished. Top with a final layer of sauce and follow with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan.
- Bake! Cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake in the oven at 375°F for 15 to 20 minutes, then carefully uncover and return to the oven to bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until the top layer of cheese is nice and melted and the edges turn a nice golden brown.
- Let it rest 10 minutes before cutting it up! Allow the cheese and everything some time to settle; if you try to cut it while it’s hot, it will be messy. Garnish with a bit of fresh parsley or basil, if you like.
Tips and Tricks
- Eggplant is a low-carb option that replaces the pasta sheets in this recipe. With that in mind, the best way to cut eggplant for this recipe is in 1/2 inch thick long slices or planks.
- I also trimmed, or squared off, the eggplant and did not use the very short sides.
- You don’t need to peel the eggplant before making this recipe; salting and roasting help make it tender.
- To Salt or Not to Salt Eggplant (optional). The big debate, to salt or not to salt the eggplant before cooking. Most eggplant is really not that bitter, but I still like to salt my eggplant slices and let them “sweat” for a few minutes while I prepare the rest of the ingredients. This is a great way to infuse the eggplant with flavor, and the salt does break the spongy texture a bit. Just be sure to wipe off all the excess moisture and salt well before cooking.
Prepare Ahead, Leftovers, and Storage:
- To prepare ahead: You can roast the eggplant and prepare the ricotta cheese filling 1 day in advance. Keep them refrigerated in separate containers. Assemble just before baking. When ready to bake, let the lasagna stand at room temperature while you preheat the oven.
- Leftovers and Storage: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days.
- To reheat: Cover the baking dish and place in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes.
Can You Freeze It?
I’m not a fan of freezing this eggplant lasagna as eggplant can become too watery and mushy when frozen. And in the absence of sturdy noodles to hold the casserole together, it will be more challenging.
What to Serve with Eggplant Lasagna?
This dish can stand alone as dinner, just add your favorite salad and call it good!
Italian Salad would be an easy choice, but if you’re looking for another light and fresh salad, try my lazy tomato and cucumber salad or this lemony arugula salad.
It never hurts to pair any kind of lasagna with crusty bread; try our easy No-Knead Olive Bread or Garlic Bread, or Rosemary Focaccia.
More Vegetarian Eggplant Recipes
Gluten-free, low-carb, and vegetarian, this eggplant lasagna layers slices of roasted eggplant between 3 Italian cheeses, spinach, fresh herbs, and pasta sauce. This lasagna recipe can stand alone as dinner or be served with your favorite salad.
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 eggplants (about 1 ½ pounds), sliced lengthwise into ½-inch thick slices (about 12 slices)
- extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 15 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 cups park-skim mozzarella cheese,
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese,
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed, wring out all the water
- 1 cup packed chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup packed chopped fresh basil 2/3 ounce
- black pepper to your liking
- 2 cups prepared pasta sauce of choice (Homemade or store-bought)
Instructions
- Salt the eggplant (optional). Season the eggplant slices on both sides with kosher salt and set aside for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F and position a rack in the middle.
- Roast the eggplant. Pat the eggplant slices dry with a paper towel to remove any excess salt. Arrange on a lightly oiled baking sheet (or two if needed). Brush the top of the eggplant with extra virgin olive oil. Place in the oven and roast until the eggplant softens and becomes pliable, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Make the cheese filling. While the eggplant is roasting, prepare the ricotta filling. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg. Add the ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 Parmesan, garlic, oregano, spinach and chopped herbs. Add a small pinch of kosher salt and black pepper to your liking. Mix well to combine.
- Reduce oven temp. Remove the eggplant from the oven. Lower the heat to 375°F.
- Build the lasagna. Into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, pour about 1/2 cup of pasta sauce and spread it across the bottom of the pan. Lay 4 to 6 eggplant slices on top of the sauce; it's fine if they overlap a little. Spread 1/2 of the ricotta filling over the eggplant, then spread a thin layer of the sauce on top of the cheese mixture. Repeat the process in the same pattern. Spread the final layer of sauce and follow with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of Parmesan.
- Bake. Cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake in the heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, then carefully uncover and return to the oven. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the edges of the lasagna turn a nice golden brown.
- Enjoy! Let the lasagna rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Video
Notes
- Salting eggplant is optional but it does help the flavor and texture of it. Be sure to dry the eggplant slices very well to remove any excess salt.
- Prepare Ahead Tips: You can roast the eggplant and prepare the ricotta cheese filling 1 day in advance. Keep them refrigerated in separate containers. Assemble before baking. When ready to bake, let the lasagna stand at room temperature while you preheat the oven.
- Leftovers & Storage: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days. Rewarm, covered, in a medium heated oven.
- To reheat: Warm, covered in a 350°F oven.
- Can this be Frozen? It is best not to freeze eggplant lasagna as eggplant can become too watery and mushy when frozen.
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 146.6kcalCarbohydrates: 11.1gProtein: 11.5gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 1.9gTrans Fat: 0.002gCholesterol: 37.2mgSodium: 424.6mgPotassium: 482.4mgFiber: 3.9gSugar: 4.6gVitamin A: 3700.7IUVitamin C: 12.9mgCalcium: 300.5mgIron: 1.7mg
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Four of our best-selling signature olive oils, perfect for everyday use.
super easy and most of all super yummy 😋
Thanks, Stacey!
I make eggplant lasagne using all the required ingredients mentioned, but I also put ground beef in it. That way I get my protein also. It’s yummy n my family enjoyed it.
That’s a great idea! Thanks for sharing, Olivia.
I prefer the parmesan garlic sauce over the tomato sauce using fresh vegetables like celery carrots bell peppers basil and spinach mushrooms adding a touch of feta cheese to individual plates always a good dish .
this has become one of my favorite dishes. Can I do more than 2 layers, or will it not set as well?
Thanks
Jill
I made this for my iftar dinner for vegetarian night. It was faaaabulous! Bursting with flavors and the eggplant was cooked to perfection. I don’t know if I’m ever going to go back to regular lasagna after this recipe!
Thank you so much, Manal!
Can I use fresh spinach instead of frozen and how much?
Thank You.
Sure! I have never tried it myself, but I just did a little quick research, and it looks like 10 oz. frozen spinach is equivalent to approximately 1 lb. of fresh spinach, so I would start there. Also, with fresh spinach, I would blanch it first, and then be sure to squeeze all the water out.
Hi Suzy! I think I’ve tried your recipes at least 7-8 days in a row now. 🙂 So far I have made Baked White Fish Mediterranean Style, Greek Salmon Salad, Grilled Shrimp with roasted garlic-cilantro sauce, Greek Pastistio, Chicken Cacciatore, Egyptian Hawawshi, Chicken Schnitzel, Easy-Greek Style Eggplant and today I made the Eggplant Lasagna. Not once have I or my teenagers been disappointed. Not only does everything taste delicious, I have lost some weight as well. Can’t wait to eat my way through your recipes (cooking is kind of meditative for me). Keep ’em coming! 🙂
Wow! You are on a roll with the recipes! I’m so glad you and your family are enjoying them. Can’t wait to hear what yes you try!!
Since this recipe was added in October 2020, we have made this a number of times as it is delicious the time it comes out of the oven as well as it is perfect for left overs (makes for a great day #2 lunch!). It also helps us increase the amount of veggies that we are consuming. Love the tip about making both the cheese filling & roasting the eggplant the day before. Tried that tip this past week & it made it easier for a busy schedule! If making just for two people, can definitely cut the recipe in half & it turns out just as good.
Thank you for sharing, Susan!
Wonderful! My husband doesn’t think he likes eggplant but I have now made a few things with eggplant including this dish and he loved it. Great way to get eggplant in the dish and make it all taste amazing.
Wonderful! Thanks, Ragna!
This was absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe exactly as it was written and opted for the homemade sauce. Two of my children were afraid to try it because they thought eggplant would be yucky. They ended up going back for seconds. My husband didn’t even realize there was no pasta in the recipe…he said it’s hard to get lasagna just right, and this one hit the spot. Thank you so much.
We look forward to trying all of your vegetarian recipes! Looking forward to a cookbook.
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it, Emily!
What a gorgeous dish! Thank you so much for sharing it. It worked out perfectly. A few comments: the skin is super nutritious so I didn’t discard any of it. Also, would it ever be possible to include metric measurements? Thank you!!
Hi, Monica! We are looking for an efficient way to add metric measurements, so please stay tuned :).
Hello sister Suzy, I am honored to present to our FB Group the “Women In God’s Heart ❤” your recipe. Thank you for sharing these recipes to all the moms and friends. If you don’t mind, please allow me to share your Great Recipes to our group on a weekly basis. Thank you and more power! God bless ❤🙏
Absolutely share them :). Thank you so much, Mellounie!
Does the 1.5 lb indicated for the eggplants mean 1.5 lb each or l.5 lb total between all 2-3? Thanks! Really looking to trying out this recipe.
Hi, Marlie. You about about 1.5 lbs of eggplant total here. Enjoy!
The 20 minutes of prep time is SUPER misleading. There is no way you can slice, salt, blot, and roast the eggplant inside of 20 minutes or even close, not to mention gathering, measuring ingredients for the filling, thawing and squeezing spinach, grating various cheeses, finely chopping large quantities of herbs etc. Please tell me how all the prep steps can be completed in 20 minutes. Very frustrating. We’ll be eating our special dinner after 8 pm due to the misleading time estimate.
Hi Gayle, thank you for sharing. If you’ll notice, the eggplant roasting time is a separate calculation outside of prep (it is added in the cooking time. 15 minutes to roast the eggplant, then another 25 minutes or so for cooking the casserole for a total of 40 minutes cooking time). One thing that usually helps with prep is to get the eggplant salted first, then while it is sitting, work on the rest of the ingredients. This is good feedback that we appreciate as we all work in the kitchen differently and things like this will vary. The prep time was adjusted per your feedback.
Thank you. The recipe turned out super delicious, and it’s definitely worth the work!
Thanks, Gayle! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
I really enjoyed making this Eggplant Lasagna! This was my first time making it and it was wonderful. My family and I really enjoyed it and I want to say thank you for this recipe!
Wonderful! So glad everyone enjoyed it!
Dear Suzy,
This is delicious.
Thank you for wanting to share your recipes.
You have taught me some things.
With regards,
Jane C. Muhonen
My pleasure, Jane! So glad you are enjoying the recipes you find here!
Hi Suzy, if using fresh spinach what should I do differently? Thank you!
Hi, Naomi! With fresh spinach, I would blanch it first, and then be sure to squeeze all the water out.