This recipe was my first go round cooking with eggplant. It is a really popular low carb vegetable, but one I have never really used in my own personal kitchen. It was one of those foods that I always said I didn't like, when in actuality I had never tried it. I had seen a lot of low carb eggplant recipes floating around and would always say NOPE. I don't like it. So basically I was acting like a 5 year old. 🙂 Boy, was I wrong. It is delicious. Especially when made into a low carb lasagna recipe.
So what better way to try it out for the first time than covered in cheesy, saucy low carb goodness. If you are not a fan of eggplant but are really missing lasagna since switching to a low carb lifestyle, then I have some amazing options for you as well. How about Low Carb Lasagna Stuffed Peppers? Or maybe my "Just Like the Real Thing" Low Carb Lasagna. Those have both been real crowd pleasers. They come kid and husband approved! Or better yet, try my Low Carb Chicken Cordon Bleu Lasagna. The ham, chicken and swiss cheese come together in perfect harmony to make a delicious spin on low carb lasagna.
For this recipe I left the skin on the lasagna, but you can certainly peel it before cooking. I left it on to help the eggplant stand up to the sauce and the cheese and to prevent it from turning to mush. It really seemed to help.
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Eggplant Lasagna with Meat Sauce – Low Carb, Gluten Free
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: Makes 8 Servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- 6 cups Hearty Tomato Meat Sauce (get recipe here)
- 2 cups full fat ricotta cheese
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 8 small fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Cut ends off eggplants and slice lengthwise in ¼ inch slices. You should end up with about 10 slices total.
- Brush each slice of eggplant with olive oil on both sides and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Bake about 7 minutes each side.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan and basil. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Pour 2 cups of sauce into the bottom of an 8x13 baking dish. Spread into an even layer. On top of the sauce, layer half of the eggplant slices.
- Layer on half of the ricotta mixture, spreading evenly across the entire dish. Sprinkle ½ cup mozzarella cheese on top of the ricotta mixture.
- Pour 2 cups of meat sauce on top of the cheese and spread in an even layer across the entire dish. Layer the remaining eggplant on top of the sauce.
- Layer second half of the ricotta mixture, spreading evenly across the entire dish. Sprinkle ½ cup mozzarella cheese on top of the ricotta mixture.
- Pour remaining 2 cups of meat sauce on top of the cheese and spread in an even layer across the entire dish.
- Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese evenly across the entire dish. Sprinkle oregano on top of cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and broil on high 5-8 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.
Notes
Per Serving - Calories: 330 | Fat: 20g | Protein: 29g | Net Carbs: 9g
