Gluten-Free Lasagna Is Made Possible With One Simple Vegetable Stand-In

Lasagna probably isn't your first thought when you consider gluten-free meals that are loaded with veggies. Those wide sheets of pasta are the best part right? Well, you may be pleased to learn there's a swap for the pasta that does a pretty good job considering the shoes it's filling. Thinly sliced eggplant can be swapped in for the lasagna sheets and they will still deliver all the layers of a well-balanced lasagna.

Eggplant lasagna only really works if you respect one thing first: eggplant holds a lot of water. If you slice it up and layer it straight into the dish, that moisture has nowhere to go, and instead of neat layers you'll end up with something closer to a puddle than a lasagna. An essential step when working with eggplant like this is to salt the slices first. Let them sit for some time and the salt will bring the water out, then you just need to pat them dry with a paper towel. You can also roast them after salting and before assembling so they become a bit more tender and bendy.

Eggplant also turns the whole dish from something you usually want a nap after eating into a lighter, vegetable-heavy affair. Eggplant has a mild flavor itself, so it doesn't compete with the tomato sauce or creamy cheese and béchamel elements, it simply sits between them.

This whole concept isn't as unconventional as it may sound. In Italy, this idea isn't new at all. There's an Italian dish, melanzane alla parmigiana, that works in a very similar way — sliced eggplant layered up with tomato sauce and cheese, baked until it holds together. And when you cut into it, it behaves like lasagna, just without the pasta. Eggplant carries the whole dish, which is why the result feels rich and indulgent without being heavy, and it's often enjoyed even in the hot summer months.

Once you've opened the door to using eggplant instead of traditional pasta sheets for a gluten-free dish, you'll soon learn it can be applied to all kinds of lasagna. If you're keeping it classic, swap the lasagna sheets for eggplant and you're good to go. Vegetarians will have a similar journey, layers of sauce, eggplant, and ricotta can be built on top of each other easily; you'll just swap out ground beef for a vegan substitute like TVP (textured vegetable protein), mushrooms, or tofu. Make sure the protein mixture is seasoned well to mirror the savory depth of a traditional meat sauce as it will need to stand up against the blander slices of eggplant.

Assembling the lasagna right still matters. Take the time to spread the sauce properly between layers, and give the finished dish some time to cool before cutting so it stays together. These rules all still apply whether you're using pasta or eggplant. If done properly then this fully gluten-free version doesn't feel like anything is missing; it feels like a vegetable-forward take on a classic that's every bit as comforting.