A delicious keto eggplant lasagna to make for a simple dinner. Eggplant slices are used instead of noodles and spinach is added for a little more veggie.
Last week, I was looking to make a low carb gluten free dish that would provide a weeks worth of lunch and possibly a few dinners. I also wanted to use up a few eggplants from and some ricotta cheese I had in the refrigerator.
It has been a while since I made a traditional lasagna and I don’t miss regular lasagna noodles. I usually use sliced zucchini but this time I decided to try roasted eggplant slices. I also threw in some frozen spinach. The result was absolutely delicious!
This keto eggplant lasagna is a great recipe to have planned leftovers. It’s pure comfort food that will keep you full for hours with just 10 grams of net carbs per slice.
The flavor of this dish is a cross between eggplant parmesan and lasagna. But this recipe is made with whole food ingredients that are perfect for a keto diet.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Let’s take a look at what you need to make this lasagna recipe.
Eggplant
For the noodle layer, this lasagna recipe uses eggplant slices. They are roasted first to give them the best taste and texture.
Ground meat
For the meat, you can use an Italian sausage or lean ground beef. Just watch out for added sugar in sausage.
Tomato
The recipe calls for a mix of canned tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. However, you can use a jarred marinara sauce instead.
Spinach
Although you can use fresh, we like to use frozen spinach as there’s usually some in our freezer.
Cheese
Our preference is to use a ricotta cheese layer in the lasagna. But cottage cheese can be used as a substitute. Be sure to use full fat ricotta cheese as it has the least amount of carbs. The recipe also blends in shredded mozzarella and parmesan.
Eggs
The ricotta mixture needs a couple eggs as a binder to give it a nice rich texture.
Seasonings
There’s not a lot of seasonings needed, especially if you use sausage. We mix in basil, salt, and fresh ground black pepper.
Note: You’ll find the full list of ingredients along with amounts used in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Instructions
Just follow these simple instructions to make a healthy and delicious low carb eggplant lasagna.
Prep eggplant
If you don’t like eggplant, zucchini is a great substitute to use. In either case, I find it best to salt the thin vegetable slices to help release water before cooking.
The eggplant slices are then roasted in the oven, or fried until soft and golden. If baking, it takes about 25 minutes, turning each slice halfway through. To fry, just cook each side until browned.
Prep meat sauce
While the eggplant slices cook, the ground meat is cooked in a skillet with garlic and any excess liquid is drained.
The canned diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste are added once the meat has browned.
Prep ricotta mixture
While the meat sauce is being prepared, the cheese mixture can be made by mixing eggs, spices, ricotta cheese, and parmesan cheese together.
Assembling and baking
The first layer is a little bit of sauce placed at the bottom of a 9×13-inch casserole pan. Then, the eggplant slices are added.
Half the ricotta mixture is spread on next then topped with half the spinach.
The remaining meat sauce is spread on and then the layers are repeated. Shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese are sprinkled on the top as the final layer.
Bake
It takes about 30 minutes to bake the lasagna in a 400°F oven until browned. The pan is then removed from the oven and cooled slightly before slicing.
Variations
I like the addition of more vegetables in this spinach and meat lasagna without noodles. It’s a yummy way to make get your daily intake of veggies in.
And, I’m always looking for ways to get everything in with one dish. It’s much easier than making a main dish and side. You can even leave out the meat layer if you want a meatless dinner.
Any cheese lover will appreciate this cheesy casserole dish. I’m a fan of ricotta cheese, but for those who prefer cottage cheese in lasagna, feel free to change it up.
📚 Related recipes
I have a few other keto recipes for lasagna on Low Carb Yum. You can chow down on a pumpkin lasagna, a skillet lasagna, a spaghetti squash lasagna, or a super simple Instant Pot lasagna!
Now you can enjoy lasagna without worrying about all the carbs. It’s plenty to feed a large family. I like to throw in some Carbquik biscuits to make a meal.
If you aren’t feeding a large number of people, you can always half the recipe. Another option is to eat half and freeze the other half for later.
Keto Eggplant Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant
- 1 ½ pounds ground sausage or lean ground beef
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons dried basil or 2 tablespoons fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 20 ounces frozen chopped spinach cooked and drained
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ½ cups ricotta
- 2 cups mozzarella grated
- ¾ cup Parmesan grated
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- If using the optional eggplant layer, they need to be roasted first in a 400 degree oven.
- Slice eggplants lengthwise about ¾ inch thick.
- Brush both sides of slices with oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast until soft and golden, about 25 minutes, turning each slice halfway through cooking time.
- Cook sausage or beef in skillet with garlic until browned then drain off any grease.
- Add canned tomatoes, sauce, tomato paste and sauce.
- Mix until meat and sauce are well combined. In medium bowl, beat eggs then stir in ricotta and parmesan cheese.
- Grease a rectangular 9×13 baking dish with the olive oil, add a large dollop of meat sauce and spread it around on the bottom of the pan.
- Put a layer of eggplant (if using) in the pan; top with a layer of half the meat sauce, half the spinach, and half of the ricotta mix , sprinkle on half the mozzarella.
- Repeat the layers.
- Bake in preheated 400 degree oven until the lasagna is bubbling and the cheese is melted and lightly browned on top, about 30 minutes.