Eggplant Lasagna
Updated Feb 10, 2026
This eggplant lasagna recipe uses roasted eggplant instead of pasta, layered with ricotta, marinara, basil, and Parmesan.
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Eggplant lasagna is soo good!
Eggplant lasagna is one of those dishes I didn’t expect to like as much as I do. I love classic lasagna, but swapping the noodles for eggplant changes the whole feel in a way that actually works, especially when it’s layered with a good marinara and plenty of cheese. This eggplant lasagna recipe leans into the eggplant instead of trying to hide it. Salting and roasting the slices first keeps everything from turning watery, and once it’s baked, the layers hold together really well. It’s rich, cheesy, and satisfying, just a little lighter than traditional lasagna.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Eggplant Lasagna Ingredients
- Eggplant: Look for large eggplants at the store. You want the slices to be wide enough and long enough to mimic the size and shape of lasagna sheets. Here’s a quick guide on how to cut eggplant.
- For the sauce: Combine cooked chopped yellow onion with minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Then add marinara and finish with some fresh basil. You can make your own marinara sauce or use store-bought.
- For the ricotta mixture: Mix together egg, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, more fresh basil, and pepper.
- Mozzarella: After each layer of sauce, eggplant, and ricotta, you’ll add a layer of shredded mozzarella. I recommend buying a block and shredding it yourself.
How to Make Eggplant Lasagna
Recipe Video Tutorial
Eggplant Lasagna Recipe
An easy eggplant lasagna recipe made with sliced eggplant, whole milk ricotta, marinara sauce, and melted mozzarella cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants ends trimmed and sliced into ⅛-inch planks
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ yellow onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 25 ounce jar marinara sauce
- ½ cup fresh basil chopped and divided, plus more for garnish
- 1 large egg
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese whole milk
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese divided
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place one rack in the middle of the oven and one rack in the upper third. Line two baking sheets with cooling racks. Place the eggplant slices on the racks and season generously with salt. Let them sit 15 minutes, then dab excess moisture with a paper towel. Flip the eggplant slices and repeat.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and translucent, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning, cooking until fragrant, 1 minute more. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the marinara sauce and ¼ cup fresh basil, stirring to combine. Simmer until warmed through, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg, then mix in the ricotta, ¾ cup Parmesan, remaining ¼ cup basil, and freshly ground black pepper.
- In a 13×9 baking dish, pour ⅓ of the marinara on the bottom of the pan. Top with ⅓ of the eggplant slices, then ⅓ of the ricotta mixture, and 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Repeat this sequence an additional 2 times, finishing off the final sprinkling of mozzarella with the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan and more black pepper. Lightly grease a sheet of foil and place it on top of the lasagna, greased side down. Bake on the middle rack until the eggplant is softened and the cheese is melted, 30 minutes. Remove the foil.
- Preheat the broiler to high and transfer the lasagna to the top rack. Broil until the cheese is slightly brown and bubbling, 2–3 minutes. Remove and let cool at least 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with more fresh basil and serve immediately.
Notes
- My Top Tip: Don’t skip the salting process. Eggplant has a lot of water content and will release a lot of moisture when cooked. Salting the eggplant slices before you add them to the lasagna draws out that moisture so the dish doesn’t get soggy.
- Storage: Store the eggplant lasagna in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat slices in the oven or in the microwave until warmed through.
- Freezing: The baked eggplant lasagna will keep well in the freezer for up to 6 months. You can freeze it whole, or freeze individual slices wrapped in foil. Reheat in the oven from frozen until warmed through.
Nutrition
Calories: 335kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 85mg, Sodium: 989mg, Potassium: 694mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 1077IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 633mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
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Recipe Variations
- Make it vegetarian: If you want to make this eggplant lasagna truly vegetarian, make sure you use a rennet-free Parmesan cheese.
- Or, make it meaty: You can easily make this lasagna with ground beef, chicken, or turkey if you prefer. Brown the meat with the onions, then add it to the marinara sauce.
- Add breadcrumbs: In the last 5–10 minutes of baking (before broiling), sprinkle breadcrumbs on top for a crunchy finish.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t skip the salting process. Eggplant has a lot of water content and will release a lot of moisture when cooked. Salting the eggplant slices before you add them to the lasagna draws out that moisture so the dish doesn’t get soggy.
- Cover the eggplant lasagna with foil when you bake it. If you bake it uncovered, the cheese on the top of the lasagna will burn. Bake it covered, then move it under the broiler to brown the top after cooking.
- Place the eggplant lasagna over a sheet pan in the oven. The sheet pan helps catch any sauce that bubbles over, keeping your oven clean.
Serving Ideas
- Salads: Classic Greek Salad, Mediterranean Chopped Salad, Chickpea Salad
- Veggie sides: Cauliflower Au Gratin, Green Beans with Almonds, Sautéed Broccoli
- Potatoes: Air Fryer Potatoes, Baked Potato Wedges, Roasted Parmesan Potatoes
FAQs
Why is my eggplant lasagna mushy?
You may not have removed enough moisture from the eggplant. Make sure you salt the eggplant slices, let them sit for 15 minutes, and dab the moisture off. Don’t forget to do this on both sides!
Comments
After reading some comments and having all ingredients I decided to peel the eggplant and bake them longer. However, the eggplants were tough and hard to cut. The flavors were excellent.
Oh no! So sorry to hear that. Did you make sure to salt the eggplant beforehand? And do you know what type of eggplant you used? Some varieties have tougher skin than others.
This recipe was absolutely wonderful. It was so easy and so flavorful. My vegetarian daughter and husband love it. Thank you so much for your recipe I hope to find more from you.
Sign: a very happy wife & mom
Thanks so much, I am so glad!
Thanks for the yummy recipe (just like so many of your recipes!)
Would it work to assemble this the night before so that it can be ready to pop in the oven the next day?
You’re so welcome! Yes, this eggplant lasagna is a great make ahead meal. This recipe makes enough for 8 servings, so you can easily enjoy it later in the week. Once cooled, cover the lasagna and keep refrigerated for up to 5 days. Reheat it, covered with foil at 360F for around 20 minutes to warm through.
Hi, what can I substitute the egg with…we don’t have egg on vegetarian days.
Thanks
I haven’t tried this with an egg substitute yet, but you could try using a flax egg!
I’m so upset the eggplant was so tough. I think roasting it before doing this should be apart of this recipe.
That really shouldn’t have been the case, but I think that could help too!
I agree, the eggplant needs to be roasted first as mine was tough and hard to cut as well. Or possibly a longer cook time would help.
The flavors were excellent though. I’ll definitely try it again.
I’ll have to try that! Glad you enjoyed nonetheless!
I’ve always use cottage cheese, which we prefer, rather than ricotta in my veggie lasagna recipes and it works very well. I have yet to try this recipe, which looks yummy, and will use cottage as a sub for ricotta with no worries.
Let me know how cottage cheese works in this recipe once you’ve given it a try!
Hi Yumna,
Can I swap the ricotta for cottage cheese , do you think? I often use cottage cheese as a low fat alternative for mozzarella in my lasagna (the mouth feel is appr the same and no-one tastes the difference when it is hot and in the middle of a lasagna), and I was wondering if I can do this instead of ricotta as well. Thanks for letting me know!
I have yet to try that, but let me know if you do!
If you don’t want to do ricotta do farmers cheese, way better than cottage cheese imo