A delicious, classic, Italian dish which is sure to impress
A great alternative to lasagne, this dish is very cheesy and tasty- and can either be served as a main for two or side dish for a group to accompany some fish or meat. Completely vegetarian, this dish is a great way to cook aubergines.
Servings
2
Prep time:
65min
Cook time:
30min
Difficulty:
Medium
Ingredients
- 125g mozzarella
- 50g parmesan
- 1 medium-sized aubergine
- 1 egg
- 1.5 cans plum tomatoes (around 600g)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- salt and pepper to taste
There are many variations of this dish-using different herbs such as sage, or different cheeses, such as ricotta. We’ve kept this recipe quite simple using ingredients you should be able to find easily, but feel free to tweak the recipe to suit your preferences- you can add more cheese or use fresh herbs if you have these to hand.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare the aubergine. Slide the ends off, then slice lengthways into around half-centimetre thickness. Sprinkle each side with salt, then place into a colander over a dish or pan and let drain for around an hour.
Step 2
Whilst the aubergine is draining, place the canned tomatoes into a pan on medium heat, then add the dried basil, mix everything and cook for 20 minutes. The tomatoes should break up whilst cooking, but you can also use a wooden spoon at the end of the cooking time to break them up a bit more if necessary. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir.
Step 3
After the aubergine has sat in the colander for around an hour, rinse the aubergine then pat dry. Heat the oven to 200 degrees C (390 degrees F).
Then, beat the egg in a bowl and set aside.
Step 4
Next, heat half of the olive oil in a pan, then fry the aubergine slices and cook for around 3-5 minutes on each side, on medium heat, until slightly golden. Once cooked, drain the slices on kitchen paper and set aside on a plate. Do this in batches, adding more olive oil as necessary.
Step 5
Once all the aubergine slices have been cooked, you can start to put together the dish.
Slice the mozzarella and set aside, then grate the parmesan and also set aside.
Next, spoon half of the tomato sauce into an overproof dish- the sauce should cover the base of the dish and be a centimetre or so deep. Then, add half of the aubergine slices, followed by half of the grated parmesan and half of the sliced mozzarella.
Step 6
Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients: spoon over the remaining tomato sauce, followed by the aubergine slices, parmesan and mozzarella.
Finally, pour over the beaten egg on top, then bake the dish for 30 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbles.
Step 7
The dish is then ready to serve. Enjoy!
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