Experience a Parmigiana with a twist! Explore this simple, low-carb, budget-friendly vegetarian eggplant and ricotta lasagna. Modernizing the Italian classic with a homemade tomato sauce, this recipe brings delight to your table. Let’s cook and elevate your dining experience!
How do you serve this vegetarian lasagna?
This modernized parmigiana can be served with a fresh and delicious arugula salad on the side or a spinach salad. For the salad dressing, I would recommend an Aceto Balsamico di Modena based vinaigrette.
This carb-free vegetarian lasagna also makes for a great side dish and can easily be a part of a varied brunch.
Should I salt my eggplants before cooking ?
Many recipes call for salting eggplants before cooking, wether they be sliced or cubed. Salting eggplant before cooking removes excess moisture, enhancing the eggplant’s flavor and creating a softer, more tender texture. Similarly, cooks use this method for other watery vegetables to intensify flavor by reducing water content. You can salt cucumbers for a delicious cucumber salad, zucchini for perfect pan fried parmesan zucchini, and cabbage for delicious kimchi !
But I understand that this process can be time-consuming. I have tried both options and was honestly very happy with the result when I didn’t salt my eggplants beforehand. So if you are in a rush, you can skip the salting step and proceed to directly cooking your eggplants on a pan ! I wouldn’t however recommend cooking your slices directly in the vegetarian lasagna in the oven. It will take you way longer to get them cooked and you will have a lot of excess water when you’re serving your lasagna. All in all, you will end up wasting more time for a subpar result.
If you want to salt your eggplants and see for yourself how you like it best, simply set a wire rack or a colander over your sink or a bowl to retain the excess water. Sprinkle salt abundantly all over your sliced eggplants and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. You can then proceed to rinse your slices under cold water before pat drying them.
How to make this vegetarian eggplant ricotta lasagna
Vegetarian Eggplant Ricotta Lasagna
Cuisine: Italian, MediterraneanDifficulty: Easy4
servings1
hour10
minutesIngredients
800 g (28.2 oz) of tomato sauce
2 or 3 peeled eggplants depending on their size
250 g of ricotta
grated cheese of your choice
Directions
- Heat up your tomato sauce or make your own simple, easy and delicious homemade tomato sauce !
- Preheat your oven to 180°C with convection heat (356°F).
- Peel your eggplants and cut them in half. Slice your eggplant planks by putting your half eggplant on its flat side and your palm on the upper part.
- You can skip these following steps to salt your eggplants
- You can read in the subtitle right above why you can skip this step and what you could gain from it.
- Sprinkle salt abundantly all over your eggplant slices before placing them in a colander or wire rack over your sink or a bowl to retain excess water.
- Let sit for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Rinse lightly under cold water before pat drying your eggplant planks.
- Necessary steps
- Pan-fry your eggplant planks generously in olive oil.
- Pour the watery part at the top of your tomato sauce on to your ricotta to make it easier to spread. Season with salt and pepper and add fresh basilic if you have.
- Start assembling your lasagna by repeatedly layering your eggplants, your ricotta spread and your tomato sauce. Generously cover your lasagna with the grated cheese of your choice.
- Let it cook in the oven for 45 minutes.