Two of our favorite Italian classics (lasagna and eggplant parm) come together in this mouthwatering, nutrient-filled eggplant lasagna. Made with seasonal ingredients and Explore Cuisine Green Lentil Lasagne Sheets. No oven required!
Summer is a great time for exploring the Mediterranean flavors. They're light, fresh and they're the perfect way to dress up the beautiful summer produce. Being born and raised in Spain, we love Spanish cuisine, of course. But we can honestly say, we love Italian cuisine, just as much!
To take advantage of the beautiful, locally grown eggplant we find in the farmer's market this time of year, we've created this delicious, mouthwatering recipe that combines two of our favorite Italian dishes: lasagna, and eggplant parm.
- They're made with lentil, pea and brown rice flour
- They're packed with 11grams of plant-based protein and 3 grams of fiber per serving
- They're organic, non-GMO, gluten-Free, and vegan
- They're oven-ready, so no boiling necessary! (although, no oven necessary for this recipe!)
- They have great flavor and texture
And best of all, they turn the most comforting of foods, into nutritious food you'll feel good about.
Our eggplant lasagna is made on the stove, and layered in a deep skillet, to avoid having to turn on the oven in the heat of the summer! Our "ricotta" is made out of tofu and lots of basil, to boost the protein content even more, and you can use your favorite dairy or vegan cheese. Also, if you want to make this recipe 100% gluten-free, all you have to do is use gluten-free bread crumbs.
Enjoy it with a side of watermelon salad, or a super refreshing avocado cucumber salad. Check out our other eggplant recipes.
How to Make a High Protein Skillet Eggplant Lasagna
Begin by peeling the eggplants, slice them and coated with bread crumbs
Pan-fry the eggplant slices in a deep skillet.
Make the basil ricotta, it could be regular or vegan
Stack eggplant slices, basil ricotta and lasagna noodles on a bed of marinara sauce, cook covered until the pasta is cooked.
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High Protein Skillet Eggplant Lasagna
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Two of our favorite Italian classics come together in this mouthwatering, nutrient-filled eggplant lasagna. Made with seasonal ingredients and Explore Cuisine Green Lentil Lasagne Noodles. No oven required!
Ingredients
- 2 small eggplants, peeled and cut into ½ inch thick slices
- 1 cup plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs (you can use gluten-free)
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 large bunch fresh basil, thoroughly washed
- 14oz extra firm tofu, drained and patted dry, crumbled (See note 1 for a dairy alternative)
- ½ -1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
- 56oz prepared pasta sauce
- 1- 8oz box Explore Cuisine Green Lentil Lasagne sheets, cut in half
- 12oz shredded mozzarella cheese (vegan or dairy)
Instructions
- Place the eggplant slices in a large bowl, and pour the milk over, so they're covered. Place the bread crumbs in a large plate
- Coat each slice of eggplant with bread crumbs, pressing lightly so they're well coated. Set them aside
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a nonstick, deep 4-quart skillet with a lid. Arrange as many breaded eggplant slices as you can fit at the bottom, and cook them over medium heat, 3-4 minutes per side. Remove them from the pan, add one more tablespoon of olive oil, and repeat the process with the remaining slices. Set them aside
- While the eggplant cooks, place the basil in the food processor and pulse until chopped small (save a few leaves for garnish). Add the tofu and pulse until it has the consistency of ricotta cheese (see note 2). Set aside
- Wipe the skillet clean using a paper towel. Spread about a cup and a half of sauce at the bottom. Arrange 6 pieces of pasta on top. Add a dollop of the tofu mixture on each one, and spread it lightly. Place a slice of eggplant on top, sprinkle with some cheese and top with a few spoonfuls of sauce. Repeat the process, creating 2 more stacked layers (a piece of pasta, an eggplant slice and cheese, sauce). You'll end up with a few extra pieces of pasta. Arrange them over the top, and pour the remaining sauce, so everything is well covered. Cover the skillet and cook over medium-low heat for 17-20 minutes (depending on how al dente you like the pasta)
- Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top, cover, turn off the heat and let it sit until the cheese has melted. Garnish with some basil leaves, whole or cut into ribbons
Notes
- If not vegan, you can use ricotta cheese instead of tofu (take into consideration that the nutrition facts will vary)
- If using ricotta instead of tofu, simply add the chopped basil and stir well
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 stack
- Calories: 605
- Sugar: 13.5
- Sodium: 880
- Fat: 29
- Saturated Fat: 8.7
- Unsaturated Fat: 12.3
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 45.4
- Fiber: 10.1
- Protein: 21
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: lasagna, protein, high protein, explore cuisine, vegetarian, skillet, eggplant, tofu
Cindy says
Such a great recipe! bursting with flavor. Thank you Vicky and Ruth
★★★★★
Carla says
WOW! Awesome recipe!
★★★★★
Janet Brown says
Such a delicious vegan recipe I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
★★★★★
Janet says
Not sure if you're cooking the pasta prior to putting it into the skillet. If I'm using regular lasagna pasta, should it be cooked prior to the skillet or follow the same directions as above? I gave the 5 star rating because it looks delish and I'm hoping to make it very soon. Thanks for the follow-up information regarding the pasta.
Can't wait to let you know when I make it and how great it is!
★★★★★
Vicky and Ruth says
No need to cook the pasta before adding it to the skillet. It will cook in the sauce. One less step to worry about! Let us know how you liked it!
Allison says
We used this recipe as our “jumping off point,” but made a few changes. I blanched the lasagne noodles because I’ve had the experience of them coming out too hard in the past. I also broiled the eggplant (instead of breading and frying) and added sautéed, well-drained baby portobello mushrooms as a layer. We used ricotta, but next time I will boost the protein and reduce the fat by doing half ricotta/half tofu. Lastly, we used a square baking dish and baked the lasagne. (The noodles lend themselves to a square dish). It was delicious and gave me more confidence about making lasagna with the Explore Cuisine noodles and using eggplant in a lasagne!
★★★★★
Vicky and Ruth says
Thank so much for sharing how you adapted our recipe. We love hearing your creative ideas!
Hadassah Miriam Gold says
This recipe sounds wonderful!!! We will make this in the near future, and this would also be perfect for Shavous. I no longer can have dairy due to health reasons so the vegan option is perfect for me, while my husband and daughter still have dairy. We live in Israel and I have my own source of red lentil/quinoa pasta that I use from Italy.
Vicky and Ruth says
Wonderful! It's great that you can find lentil/quinoa pasta in Israel. We'll have to tell our sister to look for it there.