August 2, 2024

Aubergine Parmigiana

Literally my favourite way to eat aubergines!. Decadent and unctuous, Aubergine Parmigiana hails from northern Italy and is a baked, layered dish of griddled aubergines, tomato sauce, Mozzarella and Parmesan. Delish served simply with a salad. 

You can happily replace some or all of the aubergines with courgettes – cook in the same way, but they won’t take so long to griddle. Use tinned or fresh tomatoes, and vary your cheeses as to what you have. 

Ingredients

Serves 4:

1.5kg aubergines (about 4 medium sized, or 3 large) OR a mix of courgettes and aubergines

olive oil 

salt and pepper

1 onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

800g tinned or chopped fresh tomatoes

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, or a splash of red wine

a pinch of sugar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

fresh basil leaves

200g Mozzarella, thinly sliced

125g Parmesan, finely grated (or use any other hard cheese)

60g breadcrumbs (use stale bread chopped into small pieces)

Method

  1. Slice the aubergines (and/or courgettes if using) lengthways into 5mm slices. Mix a glug of olive oil with a pinch of salt and pepper, and brush the aubergine slices on both sides with the oil.
  2. Cook the aubergine slices in single layers on a very hot griddle pan, frying pan or on a BBQ. Cook on both sides until they are soft. Take your time at this stage to ensure they are fully cooked. It’s completely fine if they are charred as this only adds to the flavour. Set aside.
  3. Add another splash of olive oil to a saucepan and add the onions. Cook for about 5 minutes before adding the garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes more before adding the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, oregano and a generous pinch each of salt, pepper and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes. 
  4. Blend the sauce to a smooth puree with a stick blender or in a processor or blender. Or you can leave it chunky as it is. 
  5. Preheat the oven to 180C. 
  6. Now to layer up. In an oven-proof dish place a layer of the cooked aubergines, followed by a layer of the tomato sauce. Tear up a few basil leaves and place on the sauce. Next dot on a few small pieces of the Mozzarella and sprinkle over a fine layer of Parmesan. Repeat the layers until you have used up the aubergines (the number of layers will depend on the size of your dish). Finish with a layer of the tomato sauce and any remaining mozzarella. 
  7. Toss the breadcrumbs with a little olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and any remaining Parmesan. Sprinkle over the top. 
  8. Bake for about 30-40 minutes until bubbling and browned.