This eggplant lasagna layers tender roasted eggplant with rich tomato sauce and plenty of melted cheese for a hearty baked dinner.

This eggplant lasagna has everything you want from a bubbling pan of lasagna: silky layers, garlicky tomato sauce, creamy ricotta, golden mozzarella, crisp Parmesan edges, and enough structure to hold together when you slide a spatula underneath it.

Ingredients

For Roasted Eggplant

• 3 large eggplants, about 3 to 3½ pounds total
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

For Tomato Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can crushed tomatoes, 28 ounces
• 1 can tomato sauce, 15 ounces
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar, only if tomatoes taste particularly acidic
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil

For Ricotta Filling

• 15 ounces whole-milk ricotta
• 1 large egg
• ¾ cup finely grated Parmesan, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

For Assembling

• 3 cups shredded low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, divided
• Fresh basil or parsley, for serving

Servings: 8

How to Make Eggplant Lasagna

Cut off each eggplant stem, then slice eggplants lengthwise into pieces about ¼ inch thick.

Try to keep slices fairly even because very thin pieces can disappear during roasting while thick pieces may stay firm in their centers.

Arrange slices across clean kitchen towels or sheet pans, sprinkle both sides with kosher salt, and let them sit for 30 minutes. You will notice little beads of moisture forming on their surfaces, which is exactly what you want.

Don’t skip this step! Salting draws out some excess moisture, seasons eggplant from within, and helps protect your finished lasagna from that disappointing puddle at the bottom of its pan.

While eggplant rests, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add chopped onion with a small pinch of salt, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion looks soft and translucent with lightly golden edges.

If it starts browning quickly, lower heat rather than adding more oil. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, just until you can smell it clearly. Garlic can travel from fragrant to bitter faster than anyone can find a lid that matches its container, so keep an eye on it!

Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, dried basil, red pepper flakes, ¾ teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Stir carefully, scraping tomato paste from bottom of pan, then bring sauce to a gentle simmer.

Reduce heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until sauce looks thick and leaves a brief trail when you drag a spoon across bottom of pan.

Taste it before adding sugar. If tomatoes taste bright and balanced, leave sugar out; if they make your mouth pucker, stir in 1 teaspoon.

Remove pan from heat and fold in fresh basil.

Heat oven to 425°F and line two large rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper. Press eggplant slices firmly between clean towels or paper towels until their surfaces feel dry.

Do not rinse them unless you accidentally used much more salt than directed, since rinsing puts moisture right back where you worked so patiently to remove it.

Arrange slices in single layers, brush both sides lightly with 3 tablespoons olive oil, and season with black pepper.

Roast eggplant for 12 minutes, rotate pans from front to back and switch their rack positions, then roast for another 8 to 12 minutes.

Eggplant is ready when slices look lightly browned, feel flexible, and can be pierced easily with a fork, but still hold their shape when lifted.

A few thinner slices may finish early, so remove those and allow thicker pieces another few minutes. Piling undercooked eggplant into a lasagna and hoping sauce will fix it is an act of optimism I cannot recommend!

Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. In a medium bowl, stir ricotta, egg, ½ cup Parmesan, parsley, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper until evenly combined.

Egg is not included merely out of tradition; it helps ricotta layer set as lasagna bakes, making slices creamier and far less likely to collapse. Keep remaining ¼ cup Parmesan nearby for topping.

Spread about ¾ cup tomato sauce across bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, using just enough to cover it in a thin layer.

Arrange one-third of roasted eggplant over sauce, overlapping slices slightly to avoid large gaps. Small spaces are perfectly fine, so resist turning this into a vegetable jigsaw puzzle.

Spoon half of ricotta mixture over eggplant in small dollops, then gently spread those dollops without pressing hard enough to move eggplant. Scatter ¾ cup mozzarella over ricotta and spoon approximately 1 cup sauce on top.

Add another one-third of eggplant, remaining ricotta mixture, another ¾ cup mozzarella, and approximately 1 cup sauce.

Finish with remaining eggplant, spread remaining tomato sauce across it, and cover surface with remaining 1½ cups mozzarella plus reserved ¼ cup Parmesan.

Keep cheese mostly within edges of eggplant because cheese pressed against bare sides of a baking dish can become dark before center finishes cooking.

Cover dish loosely with foil, tenting it slightly so foil does not stick to cheese. If needed, mist underside with cooking spray. Set baking dish on a rimmed sheet pan to catch any ambitious bubbles, then bake at 375°F for 30 minutes.

Remove foil and continue baking for 18 to 22 minutes, until sauce is bubbling around edges and cheese has melted completely with golden patches across its surface.

For a more browned top, broil it for 1 to 2 minutes, watching continuously because broilers respect neither dinner plans nor emotional attachment to mozzarella.

Remove lasagna from oven and let it rest uncovered for at least 25 minutes before cutting.

Don’t skip this step! Straight from oven, sauce and melted cheese remain fluid, so even a perfectly prepared lasagna can slide apart. As it rests, bubbling settles, ricotta firms gently, and eggplant absorbs surrounding juices.

Cut it too early and you will have delicious chaos; wait a little and you will have beautiful squares.

Serving Suggestions

Serve eggplant lasagna with:

• A crisp Caesar salad or arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette
• Garlic bread, focaccia, or warm crusty bread
• Roasted broccoli or green beans
• Sautéed spinach with garlic and lemon
• A simple tomato and cucumber salad
• Extra Parmesan, chopped basil, and red pepper flakes
• Marinated olives or roasted peppers for a small starter

One square makes a generous serving, especially with salad or vegetables. For larger appetites, serve it with garlic bread, because asking bread to collect leftover sauce is simply good kitchen management!

This eggplant lasagna arrives at your table bubbling at its edges, bronzed across its cheesy top, and packed with tender roasted eggplant that catches every spoonful of basil-scented tomato sauce!

Give it its full resting time, scatter fresh basil over top, and serve those creamy, saucy layers while cheese is still warm and stretchy. Even devoted pasta lovers may reach for a second square before asking where noodles went!

Hungry for more feel-good meals? Explore these 21 Anti-Inflammatory Breakfast Recipes for a nourishing start and 10 Anti-Inflammatory Dinner Recipes for delicious evenings that make healthy eating easy!