Aubergine Parmigiana

This is my number one easy bake for the sunnier months when you want comfort, but not heaviness. It’s perfect for busy people as you can cook the aubergine and tomato sauce in advance, then assemble & bake when you’re ready. 

I like to roast my aubergine as it’s a little easier, but frying it really takes this to another level.

And only 5 ingredients!

ingredients

serves 4

• 750g round or plum tomatoes, scored with an ‘x’ or 2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes

• 100ml olive oil, plus extra to drizzle 

• 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced

• 1 red onion, sliced into wedges

• 2-3 aubergines, sliced into 5mm lengths

• 1 tsp dried oragno or a bunch of basil

• 250g mozzarella, sliced

• 40g grated parmesan

instructions

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400F. 

Bring a pan of water to the boil and prepare a bowl with iced water. lower tomatoes into the boiling water, after 1-2 mins, scoop out into the iced water; the skins should then just slip off. Roughly chop.

Warm half the oil in a deep and pan over a medium low heat. Add the garlic and onions. Fry gently until you can see that the garlic is sticky (don’t worry about the onions, they soften in the sauce), then pour in the chopped tomatoes. Season generously and leave the tomato sauce to simmer for at least 30 minutes while you attend to the roast the aubergines. The longer you cook the sauce, the better it will be.

Line a couple of baking trays with baking paper and drizzle with half the remaining oil. Spread out the aubergine slices, then drizzle with the remaining oil, and some seasoning. Place in the oven for 18-25 minutes, turning once, until golden and tender, then remove and leave to cool. Keep the oven on.

Taste the sauce and make adjustments until you’re happy with it. You may want to add a knob of butter to soften its acidity or maybe a tsp of sugar to sweeten. Use a hand blender to blitz (incl onions) until smooth.

Spoon 1/3 sauce into a baking dish, followed by 1/2 aubergine. Top with 1/2 mozz (and a little parmesan if you wish), and a little oregano or basil, then repeat until everything is used up, finishing with a layer of parmesan. Drizzle in oil, then place in the oven for 18-25 minutes until the cheese has melted and you can insert a sharp knife. Eat immediately or allow to cool. Freezes beautifully.