Eggplant Lasagna

Published on in Recipes

 

Lasagna is one of those comfort foods that always makes everything better. Bad day at work? Lasagna. Feel a cold coming on? Lasagna. Just find out you owe a ton in taxes? LASAGNA.


And if you thought you’d have to kiss this magical comfort dish goodbye now that you’re off noodles, I have very good news for you – sliced eggplant tastes even better than noodles!

So give this a try and make enough for leftovers. It really is that good…

Ingredients

  • Meat Mixture
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  • 1 tbs oregano
  • 1/2 tsp umami seasoning (optional)
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 basil paste (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • Ricotta Mixture
  • 16 oz Ricotta
  • 1 cup shredded Mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan
  • 1 12 oz bag of frozen spinach
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbs parsley flakes
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • Other Ingredients
  • 5 oz diced onions
  • 4 oz sliced mushrooms (white or Bella)
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 small/medium eggplants
  • 1 jar low sugar marinara

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

  2. Cut the eggplant the long way in 1/4 slices.

  3. Cover slices in coarse salt and “sweat” the eggplant with a paper towel over the slices for 30 minutes. (Here’s a great blog on how to do it).

  4. Rinse eggplant slices, pat dry, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

  5. Set aside.

  6. While eggplant is in the oven, cook the ground turkey with seasonings and minced garlic.

  7. Once cooked, mixed with marinara and set aside.

  8. Sauté the diced onions for about 10 minutes until soft and translucent.

  9. Add in the mushrooms and 1 tsp minced garlic.

  10. Set aside.

  11. For the ricotta mixture, combine the following: ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, parsley flakes, garlic powder, black pepper, thawed spinach, sautéed mushroom/onion and egg.

  12. Stir until everything is thoroughly mixed.

  13. Once that’s done, start assembling.

  14. Spread a thin layer of meat sauce at the bottom of pan.

  15. Next, cover pan with one layer of eggplant slices.

  16. After that, sprinkle more meat sauce onto the eggplant.

  17. Spoon ricotta mixture on top of the ground turkey.

  18. Repeat with another layer of eggplant, then meat sauce, then ricotta mixture.

  19. Lay whole leaves of fresh basil on top and more mozzarella and parmesan on top.

  20. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

  21. Let cool for 15-20 minutes and serve!

Notes

I know sweating eggplant is a pain but I really believe it makes a big difference in tenderness, flavor and lack of moisture – which is important!

Some recipes say to slice the eggplant thin, but I really don’t agree. By the time you sweat and roast the eggplant, it loses a substantial amount of size. So for that reason, err on the side of thickness so the slices hold their shape better!

There may be a little extra moisture than there would be with noodles but in my experience, it’s really not much!

Feel free to swap out ground turkey with beef or pork.

If you want to keep it simple, you can skip the mushrooms and onions, but it really adds a nice umami flavor that I think you’ll miss.

This is one of those dishes that’s even better the next day so don’t be afraid to double up the recipe for the next day or two!

26 Comments

  1. Betty Thesky
    April 13, 2019 at 10:24 pm

    This lasagna is outstanding. I heard bald Brian say how much he liked it and decided to give it a whirl. I like how clear Gina’s writing is, start working on the cookbook now. I’m going to try some of the other dishes.

    • ginag
      April 18, 2019 at 4:40 am

      Awesome, Betty, thank you! I think clarity is key so I’m glad my writing style works for you. Please let me know how you enjoy everything else! xoxo

  2. Monica Eichler
    April 14, 2019 at 11:25 pm

    Thanks Gina! Love you and your recipes! I just put my lasagne in the oven and can’t wait to taste it. I was wondering about the frozen spinach. You didn’t say much about it, but was wondering how you thawed and if you used your cheesecloth on it or just dumped it in out of the bag?

    • ginag
      April 18, 2019 at 4:27 am

      Thank you, Monica! Yes I actually just get the steam-in-bag kind microwave it! You can either wring it out with cheesecloth or press it hard with a couple of paper towels or a clean dish cloth! xoxo

  3. Dan Oldham
    April 15, 2019 at 8:25 am

    Yummy!!! Thank you for the excellent recipe!!
    -LOYAL fan, CPT Dan Oldham

  4. Bobby Del
    April 26, 2019 at 2:06 pm

    Made your Lasagna recipe for my wife and I. Now be advised that my wife is a chicken person. Claims she could eat it three times a day. She also has a gluten intolerance so feeding her is no easy task: however, she took one bite of the Lasagna, looked at me and said, “This may be the best thing you have ever made”. Thank you Gina!

  5. Dianne
    May 7, 2019 at 9:46 pm

    OH MY Gina girl…THIS is going to be on my menu THIS week. I’ll report back…but I have NO doubt it’s gonna be bangin’ GOOD!

  6. Brian Troiano
    June 5, 2019 at 2:55 pm

    This is the second recipe of yours that I have made. What a wonderful recipe! I will say that it does take some time to make. Start to finish was two hours for me, but great things are worth the time. And now I have dinner for a solid week. I really love the addition of the mushrooms and spinach in the ricotta mixture. And you are correct that you don’t miss the pasta in the slightest with the eggplant. I ran all of the ingredients into the nutrition app that I use to get the totals of all the macros. I’m very pleased with the numbers as far as calories, carbs, sugar, etc. I took a couple of great photos of the lasagna pre-baked and post-baked. I wish there was a way to share them. Thanks Gina, this recipe and your site is great!

    • ginag
      June 15, 2019 at 7:30 pm

      That’s so wonderful, Brian! I’m so glad it works for you and that you enjoyed it!! xoxo, GG

  7. Lynda
    June 6, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    Hi Gina,
    Making this for dinner tonight. It looks delicious!!
    Quick question, do you peel your eggplant before slicing?
    Thank you!
    Lynda

    • ginag
      June 15, 2019 at 7:28 pm

      Hi Lynda! So sorry I’m just seeing this – I don’t peel. I hope it worked out for you!! xoxo, GG

  8. Tracy
    June 10, 2019 at 5:26 pm

    This dish is delicious! Super-satisfying and I did not miss the noodles at all. Recipes like this will make my transition to eating NSNG a pleasure!

  9. Tom Symington
    June 11, 2019 at 3:48 pm

    I used to put eggplant and zucchini under the pasta in old fashioned lasagna to “trick” the kids into eating those veggies. I’m definitely going to give this one a try, I’m sure it will be deliciious.

  10. Dianne
    July 9, 2019 at 10:07 pm

    I finally made this…OMG…it was outstanding! I will be making this again….and MAYBE I’ll share some of it! Thanks Gina….good work!

  11. Scott Bouters
    August 4, 2019 at 12:35 am

    The Eggplant lasagna was amazing! My wife and I prepared it together and had a great time making such a delicious dish. I will be sharing the heck out of this site. Thank you so much Gina!

  12. Autumn
    August 10, 2019 at 12:57 am

    Holy Schnikeys, Gina!

    You just gave me such a confidence boost! I’m a novice in the kitchen and have never made lasagna. Not only did this stuff kick ass, it’s my favorite lasagna I’ve ever had…and I made it! My carb loving (but now carb cutting) husband agreed it was even better without traditional noodles.
    Seriously was so worth the time it took me.

  13. Autumn
    August 10, 2019 at 9:13 pm

    This lasagna is so good! I would highly suggest making it!
    I am a novice in the kitchen and this was my first lasagna. It was so much yummier than traditional lasagna. No slippery noodles making it hard to eat and drowning out the awesome flavors. Every bite is just the good stuff! I pigged out and no heavy, sluggish feeling afterward.
    And a recent update…It was great leftover. My “meat and potatoes” Hubby loved it and even mixed it with his scrambled eggs this morning!
    Thanks for doing this, Gina! Your easy to follow recipes make it so much less scary to get out of my comfort zone. Rarely do I find a recipe that I see the trade off in effort worth the outcome (I usually eat for fuel, not enjoyment). Not with your recipes. I actually enjoyed making it and so enjoyed eating it! Keep ’em comin’, Lady! You’ll make a housewife outta me yet! 😘😘😘

  14. Lauren
    February 17, 2020 at 1:38 am

    My boyfriend and I made this tonight, and we loved it SO MUCH! As an Italian, I’ll admit I was skeptical about noodle-less lasagana, but I did not miss the noodles one bit! We also made your garlic marinara to go with, and the flavors were so on point! Will be making this recipe again and again!