An oldie but a goodie, aubergine parmigiana is a scrumptious side dish that I absolutely love. This is classic comfort food that’s perfect for serving to a crowd alongside a main meal, (although I’ll happily enjoy it for lunch with a fresh side salad too).
This recipe makes enough to fill a large roasting dish, but could easily be halved if you don’t want to make that much. Enjoy it hot from the oven in all its glorious cheesiness. Aubergines never tasted so good!
AUBERGINE PARMIGIANA
For the sauce:
- 10ml (2 tsp) olive oil
- ½ red onion, finely chopped
- 5ml (1 tsp) crushed garlic
- 2 x 400g tins diced, peeled tomatoes
- 50ml water
- 5ml (1 tsp) dried basil
- salt and pepper
For assembling:
- 1kg aubergines (4-5 depending on size)
- olive oil, for drizzling
- 300g mozzarella, grated
- salt and pepper
- 50ml finely grated parmesan
1.) Make the tomato sauce by heating the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the tomatoes, water and basil. Season well with salt and pepper and allow to simmer gently for 15 minutes until thickened. Set aside.
2.) Preheat your oven to 180ºC. Cut the aubergines lengthways into 5mm-1cm slices. Drizzle some olive oil into a griddle pan and fry the aubergines over a medium to high heat for about 2 minutes per side until charred and just soft. (You’ll have to cook them in batches.) Set aside.
3.) Spread one quarter of the tomato sauce sauce on the bottom of a large ovenproof roasting dish. Top with a sprinkling of grated mozzarella and a layer of aubergines. Season with salt and pepper, then repeat these steps until you have three layers of aubergine. Top with a final layer of sauce, a sprinkling of mozzarella and the grated parmesan.
4.) Bake for 40-45 minutes until the topping is golden. Serve immediately.
Cupcakes and Couscous 