Eggplant Lasagna Love
low carb lasagna has layers of fried eggplant, sausage, cheese and tomato sauce
Ingredients
For the Eggplant
- 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
- 1 large eggplant thinly sliced, longways
- 3 whole eggs beaten
- 1 cup almond flour super fine
- 1 cup pork rinds finely crushed
- 1/2 cup parm cheese grated
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
For the Tomato Sauce
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes can
- 1/4 onion diced
- 1 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp basil dried
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For the Sausage
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small carrot diced
- 1/4 small onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 lb Sweet Italian sausage
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Other Lasagna Ingredients
- 1 cup ricotta cheese whole milk
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped
- 1 whole egg
- 1/2 cup parm cheese shredded
- 1 cup mozzarella shredded
- 1 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
For the Eggplant
- My version is using fried eggplant which is a little more time consuming. If you want to save yourself some time, you can skip the breading and frying step and just use plain, thinly sliced eggplant. If you are doing this, I would recommend lightly salting the eggplant, placing it on a baking sheet and bake it at 300 degrees for about 5 minutes just to soften it up a bit. But, if you have the time, breading and frying the eggplant is really the way to go! After thinly slicing the eggplant, lay it on paper towels and lightly salt both sides. This will help to draw out some of the moisture. Heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat in a large frying pan. You will know if it is ready when you sprinkle a little water in the oil and it sizzles. While the oil is heating, continue preparing the eggplant.Place the eggs in a shallow dish and beat well. Place the almond flour, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper in a second shallow dish and mix together. Place the pork rinds and parm cheese in a third shallow dish and mix together. Press both sides of a piece of eggplant in the flour mixture, lightly coating it. Then dip it in the beaten egg then into the pork rinds. Use tongs to lay the eggplant into the oil. It should start frying immediately. If it doesn't, the oil isn't hot enough yet. In that case, remove the eggplant, turn the heat up a bit and a few minutes later, try again. Do not overcrowd the pan with the eggplant, only fry one or two pieces at a time. Fry each side for a few minutes until they turn golden brown. Place the fried eggplant on paper towels to drain. Repeat for all pieces of eggplant.
For the tomato sauce
- Add olive oil to sauce pan and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring often. Add the basil and oregano and cook 1 minute, stirring often. Cooking the herbs at this stage will help to release their flavors and fragrance. Add the crushed tomatoes. Stir. Turn the heat down to low. Keep an eye on the tomato sauce while you cook the sausage, being sure to stir the sauce and not let it burn. Also, you should taste the sauce and add salt and pepper to your liking. Decide if you want a little more oregano or basil. Make it so it tastes wonderful to you.
For the sausage
- Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan over low heat. Add the onions, celery and carrots and saute, stirring often. Let the veggies begin to soften and then caramelize, cooking for about 10 minutes. Keep stirring and do not let them burn. Add the sausage and turn the heat up to medium. Using a wooden spoon, break up the sausage as it cooks and stirring everything together. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, stir and TASTE. Remember, don't go crazy with seasonings since everything is seasoned. Continue cooking until fully cooked and browned. Add a cup of the tomato sauce and stir well, scraping all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and stirring them in. You want to add enough to loosen up the meat/veggie mixture and add flavor but you don't want it runny. It should be a thick sauce.
For the Ricotta
- Add ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup of grated parm and parsley to a bowl and mix well.
Layering the Lasagna
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Butter a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish/lasagna pan. Add a scoop of meat sauce to the bottom and spread around. Add a single layer of eggplant. Add a layer of ricotta mixture. Top with a layer of the meat sauce. Repeat: Eggplant, ricotta, meat sauce. If you have room for another layer, go for it. Otherwise, top your final layer of meat sauce with shredded mozzarella and the remainder of parm. I like to sprinkle a little dried oregano or basil over the top because I love how it adds that gorgeous herbaciousness to the lasagna. Cover tightly with tin foil, place on a sheet pan and bake 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking another 10 to 15 min until the cheese is melted and golden brown. Remove from the oven. The yum is so close now and I know you want to start stuffing it in your face but WAIT!! You MUST let it rest for at least 15 minutes and up to a half an hour. This step is crucial to allow the lasagna to settle. It will remain hot so don't worry. Once it has rested, cut yourself a glorious piece, maybe add a sprinkle of parm and eat it on up! The flavors, layers and textures are fantabulous!