Saif Ali
This eggplant lasagna recipe layers eggplant, homemade marinara, and a flavorful three-cheese filling! It’s a hearty dinner that pleases everyone.
Got eggplant and want to turn it into a meal? Try this Eggplant Lasagna, a tasty dinner recipe that swaps out the traditional noodles for roasted eggplant! This gooey pan holds layers of eggplant, homemade marinara, and a flavorful three-cheese filling. Lemon zest and nutmeg takes it to restaurant-style flavor. It’s a hearty gluten-free and meatless dinner idea that everyone will love! This one’s now in our regular rotation to stay.
Ingredients for eggplant lasagna
Eggplant lasagna is a gluten-free version of lasagna that swaps the noodles for roasted lasagna. It’s similar to a classic Eggplant Parmesan, but skips the breading breading on the eggplant. You’ll slice the eggplant into planks, then use that for layering with the marinara and three-cheese filling. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Eggplant
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Butter
- Crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce
- Fresh thyme
- Dried basil, dried tarragon, ground nutmeg, and kosher salt
- Cornstarch
- Lemon zest
- Ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese
The tricks to eggplant lasagna
The biggest issue with lasagna recipes without noodles like eggplant lasagna is that eggplant is 90% water. Raw eggplant would make the dish into a watery mess! So there are a few tricks to making eggplant lasagna with the perfect consistency:
- Roast the eggplant. This cooks out a significant amount of the water, making for the perfect tender consistency. You’ll roast at 425°F for about 25 minutes total.
- Thicken the tomato sauce with cornstarch. This is another preventative measure! Adding a little cornstarch makes an even thicker tomato sauce with less water.
- Let the lasagna cool for 15 minutes to set. Right out of the oven, there may be a little moisture. Let the lasagna sit and cool, which lets it absorb any remaining moisture.
A few flavor secrets
This eggplant lasagna tastes restaurant-quality with just a few special items to make the ingredients sing! We recommend making the recipe with each of these ingredients:
- Ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheese: Using three types of cheese brings a nuance in flavor. Use whole milk mozzarella if you can find it: it melts better than part-skim cheese.
- Homemade tarragon tomato sauce: You could use store-bought marinara sauce in a pinch, but this tomato sauce is incredible! Substitute oregano if you don’t have dried tarragon.
- Lemon zest and fresh thyme: These bring a zing and freshness that’s absolutely essential to the flavors.
Make ahead & leftover storage for eggplant lasagna
This eggplant lasagna recipe takes about 45 minutes to prepare, 30 minutes to bake, and 15 minutes to rest. So, it’s not a recipe for a quick weeknight meal! However, there are a few thing you can do to prep this recipe in advance.
- Roast the eggplant in advance. One of the biggest time savers is roasting the noodles ahead of time. Roast and then refrigerate until the time of baking. They will accumulate moisture in the fridge, so pat them dry before assembling.
- Make the tomato sauce in advance. It’s easy to let the tomato sauce simmer while you preheat the oven. But you can make it in advance too! Just refrigerate until serving: the flavor gets better over time.
- Or, make the entire pan in advance! Leftovers store well; they can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated in a 375°F oven.
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