Healthy Eggplant “Noodle” Lasagna

I love eggplants. I think they are such a versatile vegetable and are just freaking delicious. For this recipe, the eggplants are pretty much the star. We’re skipping the noodles and using these veggies to help support the other ingredients, like the cheese and tomato sauce, for a healthy version of your classic lasagna. 

Key Notes:

• Eggplant: When slicing the eggplant, be sure to BLOT BLOT BLOT. These vegetables have such a high water content. It’s important that you don’t skip the necessary steps to dry them and roast them. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck with chewy “noodles” in your lasagna. 
• Cottage Cheese: For this recipe, I opted for cottage cheese instead of ricotta. It still gives you the creaminess of the cheese, but it is less fattening and offers a richer taste. I recommend cooking and reheating before serving, as the cottage cheese may make the cheese mixture a bit watery compared to your average ricotta mix. 
• Spinach/Mushroom Mix: I recommend adding an extra surprise to this dish by sauteeing fresh spinach and mushrooms and adding to the tomato sauce. It gives the lasagna an extra layer of texture when biting into it

Healthy & Scrumptious Eggplant “Noodle” Lasagna
Serves: 5-6
Total Cooking Time: 2.5 hrs

Ingredients

• 3-4 Medium Eggplants, sliced lengthwise
• ½ Yellow onion, sliced thinly
• 3 Garlic cloves, minced
• ½ lb Baby bella mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 2 Cups Spinach
• 1 (32 oz) jar marinara sauce
• 16 oz Cottage Cheese
• 1 ½ Cup + ½ Cup grated parmesan
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbs Italian seasoning
• 1 Tbs cooking oil
• 1 C shredded Mozzerella
• 2 Tbs Bread Crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F and slice eggplants lengthwise, roughly ½”. I recommend using a mandolin for uniform slices, but if you’re like me and broke your mandolin by accident, just eyeball it. 
2. Once eggplants are sliced, place them on a paper towel-lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 10-15 mins to pull out the moisture. Once finished, blot with a paper towel and set aside until all slices are finished. Once done, return to a lined cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and place in the oven for 15 mins, or until slightly roasted. Once finished, set aside to cool*. Reduce oven temp to 400°F.
3. While eggplant is roasting, heat your cooking oil in a saucepan on medium heat and add your onions and garlic. Cook until fragrant. Next, add your mushrooms until soft. Finally, add your spinach and cook until wilted. Add your marinara sauce, reserving 1Tbs, and keep on low heat until ready to use. 
4. In a large bowl, add your cottage cheese, 1 ½ C of grated parmesan, egg, and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine. 
5. Pour reserved marinara sauce into the bottom of an 8×12 casserole dish and cover. Once eggplant slices have cooled, line the bottom of the dish with the slices, as you’d do with lasagna noodles. 
6. Top noodles with ⅓ cottage cheese mixture, covering slices, and then cover with ⅓ marinara mixture. Layer with eggplant slices and repeat until no more slices are left. 
7. Sprinkle with ½ C grated parmesan, shredded mozzarella, and bread crumbs, cover with aluminum foil, and place in the oven for 45 mins. 
8. After 45 mins, remove tin foil and bake for another 30-35 mins, or until cheese is brown and bubbly. 
9. Remove from oven, and cover with aluminum to cool. Serve, or place in the fridge until ready to reheat. Serve with a side salad and some garlic bread for some added tastiness!

* This is a key step. It will keep the eggplants slightly cooked so the “noodles” won’t be too watery in the lasagna, and you can avoid the chewy trap of undercooked eggplant.