aubergine parmigiana

Inspired by my friend Anna, who makes an amazing aubergine parm, I thought I’d have a go at making my own version. I’ve stayed traditional in that I haven’t messed about it a classic (if it ain’t broke..?!) : there are layers of creamy aubergine, my go-to tomato sauce and LOTS of cheese.

This would be another great dish to make for friends if you’re eating outside over Easter. Aubergine parmigiana makes a lovely side with a BBQ (chicken or white fish would work really well), or you could stay veggie and serve with baked rice or a salad and some greens.

A note on the tomato sauce - my recipe is for a large batch, so you’ll have plenty to keep in the fridge (for up to a week) - I have lots of serving suggestions on the recipe page, so you can turn it into different meals. Or freeze the rest of the sauce in small tubs for quick dinners or to use on homemade pizzas.

If you don’t want to make extra, I would probably halve the recipe especially if you’re adding the celery an carrots as suggested below in the Tips.

Ingredients

Serves 4 as a main or 6 as a side

• 700ml tomato sauce (recipe here)

• 3 aubergines, 1cm slices

• 50g breadcrumbs

• 50g parmesan cheese, grated

• 150g mozzarella, halved and sliced (double if you like it really cheesy!)

Method

• Make the tomato sauce.

• While the sauce is cooking, preheat the oven to 180ºc. Brush a couple of large baking trays with olive oil and spread out the aubergine slices. Brush the top side of the slices lightly with oil .and place in the oven for about 20 minutes until softened and browned on one side.

• Mix 20g parmesan with the breadcrumbs.

• Assemble by layering the tomato sauce, a generous sprinkle of parmesan, a few pieces of mozzarella and then the aubergine in an oven proof dish (I used 21x27cm)

• Repeat 2-3 times, finishing with a layer of tomato sauce topped with the breadcrumbs and a few pieces of mozzarella if you have any left.

• Place in the oven for 25 minutes.

• Serve with baked rice, orzo salad (no feta), mini roasties, grilled fish or roasted chicken and a green salad.

tip

• You can add finely chopped celery (3 -4 sticks) and carrots (4 chopped in small cubes) to the tomato sauce to add extra flavour if you want to, just put them in with the onions right at the beginning of the recipe.

• Use 2 balls of mozzarella to dial up the cheesiness!

• If I can, I make the tomato sauce a day or two ahead, so I can quickly assemble the dish in 20 minutes.