Did you know that eggplant is actually a berry? Weird huh? I sliced this unusual berry super thin and used it in lieu of lasagna noodles. Which believe it or not is even quicker to make than traditional lasagna.
No need to deal with boiling noodles trying to keep them from breaking and sticking together. (I hate making regular lasagna ..so tedious and time consuming!) I used a mandolin to slice my eggplant- but using a knife and slicing it thing will work fine too.
Also read: Sugar Addition […and How To Break It!]
You’ll like eggplant noodle lasagna so much more than zucchini noodle lasagna as it doesn’t create a puddle of liquid- instead the eggplant soaks up some of the juices and you’ll be able to get really nice slices that hold together.
There are 2 flavor options (depending on your mood):
-Classic Lasagna using ground beef or italian sausage.
-Spinach Artichoke Lasagna.
Both recipes can be made and baked-then frozen to eat at another time ?
Eggplant Lasagna in 2 ways
A low carb eggplant lasagna recipe (Gluten/Grain/Sugar/Nut Free)
For both recipes:
- 1 large eggplant (sliced thinly or with a mandolin to use for noodles)
- 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese or Daiya cheese or Omit all together
- 2 1/2-3 cups ricotta cheese or dairy-free ricotta cheese
Filling option #1 Classic Lasagna:
- 1 tbsp olive oil or oil for choice for cooking
- 1 Onion Finely Chopped
- 1 lb ground beef or spicy ground italian sausage
- 1/2 Tsp of Pepper
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning blend
- 1 tbsp Dried Basil
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1.5 cups jarred tomato sauce
Filling Option #2 Spinach Artichoke Lasagna:
- 1 Large Onion
- 4 Tbsp of Butter. Ghee or Oil of choice
- 2 Bags (12 oz/340 grams each of Frozen Artichoke Hearts)
- 1 Tsp. Salt
- 1/2 Tsp of Pepper
- 2 Tsp of Garlic Powder
- 2 Tsp. Dried Parsley
- 1 1/2 cups of frozen spinach
- 1/2 cup of cream cheese Dairy Or Nondairy (completely optional)
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Slice eggplant thinly or with a mandoline in long strands or round disks. Set aside.
- To Make Filling Option #1 using Ground Beef or Italian Sausage:
- In a frying pan, saute ground beef and onion in olive oil. Add the Italian seasoning, garlic salt and pepper and cook until the liquid cooks down. Mix in tomato sauce and set aside.
- In a 9.5 x 9.5 in. baking dish lined with parchment paper, create a base eggplant layer with 1/3 of the eggplant. Add 1/3 of the meat , then 1/3 of the ricotta, sprinkle with black pepper, then 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat 3 times, topping with a layer of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 1 hour.
- For The Spinach Artichoke Filling Option:
- Saute the onions in the butter or oil for 5 minutes until translucent, stir in the frozen artichokes and saute over medium heat until lightly golden brown and cooked through. Add all the spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder and parsley and then stir in spinach. Once fully cooked the cream cheese can be stirred in. (Its totally optional and gives it more of a spinach artichoke dip kind of vibe- but the lasagna is delicious with or without it!) If you really want it to taste like spinach artichoke dip you can throw the mixture with the cream cheese into a food processor. But again- this is option. Its good either way.
- In a 9.5 x 9.5 in. baking dish lined with parchment paper, create a base eggplant layer with 1/3 of the eggplant. Add 1/3 of the artichoke spinach mixture , then 1/3 of the ricotta, then 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat 3 times, topping with a layer of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 1 hour.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories: 425 | Fat: 28g | Total Carbs: 8g | Net Carbs: 5g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Protein: 32g
Love you Melanie!!! Keep up the great work. There are a lot of us who LOVE what you do! I was gluten, soy and refined sugar free for a long time and felt great. Then I got prego and could only get white bread and potatoes for soooo long. Any thing GF made me sick. Now my little one is 6 weeks old. She is having some GI issues and rashes so I am going to start to take things out of my diet to see if it helps her as well. I already avoid gassy foods which is hard when your a vegetarian. I may start to eat some meat so I can get some more protein. She can’t handle it when I eat beans or legumes. And oh how I miss quinoa and lentils.