Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F. Lightly oil the baking dish with a little olive oil.

Trim the 2 large eggplants and slice them lengthwise into 0.5 cm / 1/4-inch thick strips.

Brush the eggplant strips with about 2 tablespoons olive oil and season them with half of the salt.

Bake the eggplant strips for 20 minutes, turning once halfway through. Remove them when tender and lightly browned.

Heat the remaining olive oil in the frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the 400 g ground meat.

Brown the ground meat for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it up with the wooden spoon. Drain excess fat if needed.

Stir the tomato sauce, tomato paste, tomato sauce from tube, and paprika into the browned meat. Season with the remaining salt.

Simmer the meat sauce over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat.

Melt the 50 g butter in the saucepan over medium heat. Add the 50 g wheat flour.

Whisk the butter and flour for 1 minute to make a smooth roux. Gradually pour in the 500 ml milk while whisking.

Cook the béchamel for 4 to 5 minutes until thickened. Whisk in the za'atar and a pinch of salt.

Arrange one layer of baked eggplant strips in the oiled baking dish. Spread half of the meat sauce over the eggplant.

Add another layer of eggplant strips and cover it with the remaining meat sauce. Finish with the remaining eggplant strips.

Pour the za'atar béchamel evenly over the assembled eggplant layers. Smooth the surface with the wooden spoon.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the top is set and golden. Rest the lasagna for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.