Thin-sliced eggplant replaces the noodles in this luscious low carb lasagna stuffed with a cheesy mushroom, spinach and sun dried tomato mixture, layered with marinara sauce and lots of mozzarella & Italian cheese. Even if you think you don’t like eggplant, I think you might be surprised how much you love this lasagna. The eggplant essentially disappears into the layers and soaks up all the good Italian sauce, herbs and cheeses.
I had just a couple eggplant left from the garden and was haunted by a little argument my parents were having about what to do with the last of THEIR eggplant. Mom was asking dad to make eggplant lasagna. Dad said “yes, I’ll make some Moussaka” (referring to the Greek version of lasagna we all love so much in my family) … and mom said “no, eggplant LASAGNA!” They went on for a while, bickering playfully like a couple that has been married over 60 years (because they have). I stopped listening a little while into it. But later I remembered my mom’s wish for eggplant lasagna. And wondered whether my dad would make it for her?
I got to thinking about my dad’s lasagna too. Oh it’s so so good! Everyone in the family absolutely adores it. So my dad makes it often for us. And it’s a labor of love. He gets up early and starts by making his own homemade whole wheat noodles. Then he uses his homemade marinara sauce that they can so much of every year. And he ALWAYS uses cottage cheese. Never ricotta.
Does Cottage Cheese make Better Lasagna?
How you answer this question probably depends on where you’re from. Usually when I make lasagna, I use ricotta cheese, like the Italians do. But in midwestern US, most people use cottage cheese. Now this might sound strange to some of you lasagna purists, but that’s just how they do it around here.
Anyway, I got to wondering: is it the cottage cheese that makes my dad’s lasagna so good? So I decided to do a test … and what better test than a noodle-free lasagna? My thinking there is then we rule out the homemade noodle factor. I am sure the homemade noodles definitely make a difference. But at the core of it, it HAS to be the cheese! Because really, lasagna is all about the cheese, right?
So what’s the difference between cottage cheese and ricotta?
Cottage cheese is a fresh (un-aged) cheese made from curds. The curds form when milk is separated into curds and whey. People describe cottage cheese as a mild flavored cheese with a lumpier texture.
Ricotta is also a fresh cheese, but they use whey to make ricotta, which results in a smoother, but more grainy texture.
After tasting my results, I’ve concluded that my dad’s right. Cottage cheese makes better lasagna. The bigger curds give it a little more substance than ricotta. Cottage cheese is technically lighter than ricotta, but it doesn’t TASTE lighter in lasagna. Somehow it tastes richer and cheesier.
That said, if you’re a ricotta purist, use ricotta. You’ll still love the results.
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Spinach Mushroom Eggplant Lasagna
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 9 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant, peeled (or not) & sliced thin
- 2 – 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- Trader Joe’s 21-Seasoning Salute or your favorite no-salt seasoning & salt
- 1/2 an onion
- 2 – 4 cloves garlic
- 2 cups fresh spinach or kale
- 1 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese or ricotta (I recommend cottage cheese)
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 2.5 oz. shredded Parmesan and/or Swiss cheese (I used a mix of both)
- 2 – 3 Tablespoons chopped sun dried tomatoes
- About 2 cups of your favorite tomato-based Italian pasta sauce
- 8 large slices mozzarella cheese
- A bit of Italian blend cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with seasonings, then a light bit of salt. Set the eggplant in the oven to roast for about 20 minutes or until tender and lightly browned in some spots.
- While the eggplant is cooking, prepare the cheese mixture. Saute the onion in the remainder of the olive oil, then add the garlic and mushrooms. Cover until the mushrooms are tender. Then stir in the greens. Cover and cook just until the greens are wilted and soft. Uncover and stir. If there are liquids in the pan, cook and stir for a few minutes until they are gone. To remove excess moisture, take a clean kitchen towel on top of the skillet and press down so it soaks up more of the moisture.
- Remove from heat and stir in the cottage or ricotta, Italian seasoning, shredded cheese(s) and chopped sun dried tomatoes. This is your cheesy filling.
- Spread a layer of sauce over a 9 or 10 inch square pan. Add a layer of roasted eggplant slices, then spread a layer of the cheesy filling (about half of it). Spread a layer of sauce and cover with slices of mozzarella. Repeat the layers, then put another layer of sauce on top. Sprinkle with a bit of shredded Italian cheese.
- Bake at 350 F. for 45 – 60 minutes or until the lasagna is bubbly and the cheese on top is lightly browned in spots. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes or so before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Some say it’s important to use whole milk cottage cheese so your lasagna isn’t watery. I’m not sure if this is true, but I did use whole milk cottage cheese for richer flavor.
You can use shredded mozzarella in place of the slices.
RECIPE SOURCE: Sumptuous Spoonfuls – https://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/ … © Copyright 2022, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.
Nutrition
- Calories: 211
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 15g
Keywords: Low carb, Gluten free, Lasagna, Eggplant, Mushrooms, Diabetic, Cheese, Heart healthy
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