Gluten Free Eggplant Lasagna Style Recipe
I volunteer for a non-profit organization that once a month or so hosts a dinner to ply our invitees with delicious food (hoping they will pry open their wallets and fork over their hard-earned cash to our worthy cause).
Normally, I have a lot of say as to the menu. However, I was absent from the last menu planning meeting and they decided to do a pasta dinner. Pretty much a gluten free cook’s nightmare. They signed me up for lasagna. (Note to self – don’t schedule important things like a mani-pedi on the night we are to decide the menu!)
Back when I was more insecure about my gluten-free lifestyle (in the closet as it were) I would have just made regular lasagna. But no more. Now I know that great food is great food, regardless of the wheat content.
So I prepared my version of lasagna. I don’t know if technically it can be called a lasagna as it contains no noodles, but whatever it is called, it is FABULOUS! Even the die-hard wheat eaters were begging for this Gluten Free Eggplant Lasagna Style Recipe. So here it is.
Now I firmly believe that there is a time and place for homemade tomato sauce and that the preparation of this lasagna is not it. If you are a die-hard homemade person, then by all means make your own. If you are lazy like me, use a good store bought sauce. I like Classico Tomato & Basil as it has no sugar added – making it great for low carb diets and I doctor it up with extra onions, garlic and oregano. If you have a bottle of red wine in the fridge then add it. If not, then either leave it out and add a bit more water or use this as an excuse to open one!
By the way, you will see that I use dried parsley in this recipe. This is the ONLY time I ever use dried parsley but I prefer it to be fresh in this case.
Gluten Free Eggplant Lasagna Style Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 medium or large eggplants
- ¾ cups olive oil
- 5 teaspoons dried oregano – use divided
- 3 teaspoons kosher or sea salt – use divided
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper – use divided
- 5 cups tomato sauce – about 1 ½ jars of 26-ounce store bought
- 1 ½ pounds Italian sausage - mild or hot depending on your preference
- 1 large white or yellow onion - chopped
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- ½ cup red wine – optional
- 1 large container ricotta cheese
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese – grated or shredded
- 2 large eggs – beaten
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese - grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix olive oil with 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cut the ends off the eggplant and slice into ¼ inch slices. Brush eggplant slices with olive oil mixture. Grill on a hot, dry grill pan or broil under pre-heated broiler for about 4 - 5 minutes (until browned) and flip, cook on other side until browned and slightly soft about another 3 -4 minutes. It will cook more in the oven so slightly undercooked is okay. Set aside until layering the lasagna.
- Remove the casing from the Italian sausage and crumble into a large stockpot or skillet that has been heated over medium high heat. (If your pan is not non-stick, add just a touch of olive oil to the pan first. Cook until browned and no longer pink inside, breaking up the sausage as it cooks.) Add chopped onion and cook until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce, wine if using and 1 teaspoon dried oregano. Let cook for about 15 minutes until heated through. Check the consistency. You'll want it a little saucy so if too thick, you could add some water. I usually have to add about 1/4 - 1/3 cups.
- In a large mixing bowl mix the ricotta cheese with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, the parsley, 1 cup Parmesan cheese and eggs.
- Brush a large lasagna dish with some olive oil. Ladle in a little bit of the tomato sauce and spread over bottom of dish. Try to just add the sauce - no sausage chunks.
- Layer half the eggplant slices in the bottom. Add half the ricotta mixture then top with half the sauce. Repeat layering. Top with mozzarella cheese and spread evenly over the top.
- Bake about 1 hour until hot and bubbling and cheese is browned.
Notes
Nutrition
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sounds fantastic! It sure is lasagne weather.
I remember the days when I used to use gluten in my catering. I couldn’t taste it, I tried not to inhale when making pastry and cakes and usually ended up getting contaminated somehow.
Now they can have gluten free food or look elsewhere. And you know what? – they never complain. In fact I have often been asked for gluten free cake recipes by people who had no idea they weren’t made with wheat flour. We rock!
x x x
A great alternative Carol to the regular lasagna. Eggplant is a great ingredient with a lot of versatility. Have you tried your hand at using eggplant in the Greek dish mousaka?
Yum! This looks incredible. I don’t use eggplant that often because it never seems to come out right for me. I think it’s because I usually cut it too thick, don’t peel off the skin and don’t cook it long enough.
This looks like a great version of lasagna, at least in the respect that it uses eggplant instead of pasta. Red wine?!? Genius! I love using red wine in cooking, it adds so much flavor, especially to Italian dishes. To keep the fat down, I would substitute fat-free ricotta and lower-fat mozzarella (Precious makes a very moist and very low-fat mozzarella but I think it’s west coast (US) based).
– The Peanut Butter Boy
Are you serious this has no lasagna noodles in it?!! It looks delicious and like the real noodle version! I hear ya on the homemade tomato sauce issue….we used canned stuff too if we need to and don’t have a problem with that.
I still don’t believe this has no noodles….send some over to to prove it!
I did this once. It didn’t look nearly as nice as yours does, but it tasted great! Even better, I’d say. I think my biggest mistake was not pre-cooking the eggplant, but live and learn. My mom made a lasagna with rice noodles for my upcoming visit, we’ll see how that goes, even if I’m trying not to eat noodle type things anyway.
Hi! *waving*
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. It was very nice to meet you!
I’ve checked out your blog and I think it’s decided. I’ll bring the Irish Cream with me, but you must help me with my photography. I’m really working on it, but (in my best Barbie voice) photography is hard! Yours looks amazing!!
I wanted to also let you know, my youngest daughter spent the first several years of her life on a gluten free diet, due to an allergy. So, I’ve done my fair share of gluten free creating and cooking. Babs has outgrown her allergy (although I suspect she is still sensitive to it – she’s puffy all the time?), but I have a huge appreciation for what you do!
Well, thanks again for stopping by. I promise I’ll be back, you’re in my feeds now. :)
Wow, this looks wonderful! Oh, and I love your cute illustration. Looks just like you. Really nice photos, too — you’re a fast learner!
Melissa
Hi Carol – This looks terrific! It’s kind of like a variation on moussaka, only layered with Italian sausage instead of ground meat. I will often use jars of store-bought tomato sauce, and spice it up with some fennel seed and a little red chili, (of course)!
I have several patients with celiac disease, and I have been collecting gluten-free blogs for them. Yours is going on my list!
This looks so good that I think even my husband would love it! lol! (he’s not gf except the fact that he’s married to me.)
And I just want to tell you how much I love you blog. The photos are simply stunning. But most of all, I like the simple, yet elegant feel of it.
I love to entertain, and before going gf, I even catered a few small parties for friends (but I am, by no means, a professional). I’ve only just started to realize that I can still host fabulous parties with wonderful hors d’oeuvres that “just happen to be” gluten free.
Thanks for the added inspiration!
Karen
carol- we must be sharing the same brain because I just made the same lasagna this week! No joke! Wondeful!
whoa Carol! that looks heavenly!! the only way I could probably eat eggplant:)D
that really does look delicious Carol!!
I made your eggplant lasagna tonight and it was delicious! My picture won’t be quite as pretty, but that’s okay, because what it lacked in style it more than made up for in taste. Even my non-gf friend agreed.
Thanks!
Karen
You are an inspiration!! I have cooked italian food for 34 years, since marrying into an italian family. I have never come across such a wonderful way to make lasagna that I can now eat. I have been gf for two years and can't wait to make this. The eggplant are just starting coming into the house from my son's garden. I will have to call him and get more here quick!!
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I’m making this this week and so excited! It looks so delish. One question though… a large container of ricotta cheese… is that 32oz or 16oz? Thanks!!
32 ounces – should have specified, thanks for pointing that out!
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Do you peel the eggplant at any point?
Laurie,
I don’t, but you can if you want. Enjoy! xo, Carol
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