Keto Eggplant Lasagna
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
You are going to love love love this recipe. Keto Eggplant Lasagna is the combination of two Italian classic comfort food recipes and now you can have this gluten free and low carb.
You may remember when I posted keto fried eggplant here which is the foundation of this recipe.
Use Pork Panko for the Breading
I use what is keto life is called Pork Panko, which you can buy already made, or easily enough, you can make yourself.
Pork panko is simply pork skins crushed into faux bread crumbs. All you need to do to make your own is buy your favorite pork skins and put them in a food processor. You can store them in a jar in your pantry.
Cooking Tips for Making Keto Fried Eggplant
I discovered that using a non-stick frying pan with NO oil makes crispier eggplant. I use the copper chef frying pan that requires no oil or butter.
Quick Tomato Sauce
You can easily use a can of quality San Marzano Tomatoes, which, within about 20 minutes will yield a perfectly good SUGAR FREE, NO NONSENSE Tomato Sauce.
The Filling: Ricotta Cheese for Keto Eggplant Lasagna
I love ricotta cheese, but because it can be a bit bland, I will add a few tablespoons or more of pecorino romano cheese to the mix, with a little nutmeg, parsley, salt and pepper.
Sweat the Eggplant
First make decision as to how many layers you want to make your keto eggplant lasagna. You can decide thick or thinner slices. I also peel the eggplant with a potato peeler to remove the skin. Then After slicing crosswise, I lay on paper towels and salt well. After about an hour, the eggplant will sweat, or release moisture. This helps the eggplant fry better.
Frying the Eggplant
- Wipe off moisture of eggplant.
- Dip in beaten egg.
- Apply keto breadcrumbs.
- Heat large frying pan without oil. Fry on medium low, turning over after about three minutes.
- Drain on paper towels.
Building Keto Eggplant Lasagna
This is the fun part. My ratio is 3 2 1. This means three layers of eggplant, two layers of ricotta cheese and one layer of mozzarella, which all layers have a thin layer of tomato sauce. This is then baked for about 20-30 minutes. Rest for ten minutes.
More Eggplant Recipes from Spinach Tiger
- Low Carb Eggplant Parmesan with Pepperoni
- Italian Stuffed Eggplant with Ground Veal
- Italian Eggplant Soup with Italian Sausage
- Keto Fried Eggplant
- Layered Keto Eggplant Parm
- Spaghetti with Eggplant Sauce
- Roasted Eggplant Crostini
- Swordfish Milanese with Eggplant Sauce
- Eggplant Benedict
- Italian Eggplant Stew from my Great Grandmother
Keto Eggplant Lasagna
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants Medium to large size
- 2 tablespoons salt for sweating eggplant
- 4 eggs beaten
- 2 cups pork panko can substitute almond flour
- 1 1/2 cup pecorino romano grated and divided
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 cups tomato sauce recipe here
Pork Panko
- 4 cups quality pork skins.
Fast Tomato Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves fresh garlic can use garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder optional
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cans San Marzano Whole Tomatoes
Instructions
- Slice off skin. Slice eggplant medium thick about a 3/4 inch or half inch.
- Sweat the eggplant. Lay out on cloth or paper towels and salt heavily on both sides. Use more cloth or paper towels to absorb the liquid.
- Beat 2 eggs. Use more as needed. You may need four eggs.
- Add salt and pepper into eggs.
- Mix pork panko with cheese. I like to use 1/2 cup cheese to 1 cup pork panko, but you can decide for yourself. Keep in mind that pecorino is salty, but I think that adds flavor. You CAN skip the pecorino, if you want to or replace with parmesan.
- Dip into egg, then breadcrumbs and fry eggplant over medium heat NO OIL. until golden brown on each side. Drain on paper towels.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Put tomato sauce in bottom of baking dish. You can use your own sauce, or make the fast sauce below.
- Layer eggplant with tomato sauce and ricotta cheese. You can do three layers of eggplant with two layers of ricotta cheese or two layers of eggplant with one layer of ricotta cheese. It's up to you. I like three layers.
- Top with Tomato Sauce and mozzarella
- Bake until cheese is completely melted and slightly golden brown. Allow to rest 10 minutes before cutting.
Make Homemade Pork Panko
- Take high quality pork skins and place in food processor. They will process quickly and are a good substitution for breadcrumbs.
Fast Tomato Sauce
- Use two large can of San Marzano Tomatoes. Squeeze with hands and use all of the tomato except the very ends of tomato.
- Put small amount of olive oil in sauce pan. Add a garlic cube, some onion powder, salt and pepper. Once garlic is golden (if burned, throw out start over), add tomatoes. Cook on medium low heat, while making the eggplant. this sauce can be ready in as little as twenty minutes.
- You will probably have some sauce left over, which you can freeze for future.
Please follow me on instagram. If you make this recipe, please tag me #spinachtiger.
If you love this recipe, please give it five stars. It means a lot. xoxo
Question for you. Your pictures show the eggplant slices with the skin on, however, your recipe says to use a peeler or slice the skin off. Do you always take the skin off? And if so, what is the benefit? Hoping to make this over the weekend.
You can go either way. Lately, I’ve been taking the skin off. But my family always left it on.