Description
Deliciously cheesy and filling no-noodle eggplant lasagna done in under an hour...um, heck yes! This showstopper of a recipe stars tender roasted eggplant (no peeling or salting!), high protein cottage cheese instead of ricotta mushrooms, melty mozzarella, and lean chicken sausage. Bake for 30 minutes at 400F until bubbly and serve!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 large eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch slices (about 10 slices)
- 2 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8oz sliced mushrooms
- 12oz mild Italian chicken sausage, removed from casing (can sub plant-based sausage, or you can omit!)
- 1 large egg
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 16oz container whole milk cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 24 oz jar high quality marinara sauce, like Rao's
- 1 3/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. Have 2 sheet pans ready (I use 1 extra large sheet pan and 1 standard one). Place eggplant on pans in an even layer.
- Place olive oil in a small bowl. Use a silicone brush to brush eggplant with oil. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Bake for 20-25 min, flipping pans halfway through. Once done, remove from oven and lower heat to 400F.
- Meanwhile, warm a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add mushrooms, sausage, and 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, or until sausage is no longer pink. Drain any fat then stir in jar of sauce.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add cottage cheese, egg, garlic 1/2 cup parmesan, parsley, 1/4 tsp kosher salt, and a pinch of pepper. Stir to combine.
- Place 1 1/4 cups meat sauce on bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish and tilt to spread. Top with about 6 eggplant slices (they can overlap). Cover with half of the cottage cheese mixture (1 heaping cup) and sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.
- Top evenly with another 1 1/4 cups sauce, remaining eggplant slices, remaining cottage cheese mixture, and 1/2 cup mozzarella.
- For the final layer, top with remaining sauce, 3/4 cup mozzarella, and remaining 2 tbsp parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes. (For a more golden top, you can broil for a couple minutes at the end.) Let lasagna rest for 10-15 minutes to set before devouring, which is critical to help it set!
Notes
Make ahead: Roast the eggplant up to 2 days in advance and store in the refrigerator until ready to assemble. You can also assemble the entire thing up to 2 days in advance!