Spinach Mushroom Eggplant Lasagna: a healthy lasagna you’ll be surprised to love

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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