Have you ever tried Aubergines Parmigiana (Parmigiana di Melanzane)? Well, don’t worry, I’ll walk you through it. This is my lighter and quicker version of this traditional italian dish.
Tradition wants you to deep fry the aubergines, but I have to say I really can’t stand the smell of deep fried food in the house (maybe that’s the reason why I like it so much when we were going out for dinner). Believe me, you won’t notice the difference and your house won’t smell as bad.
Everything you need for this is aubergines, tomato sauce and cheese. It’s so easy and so good. We consider this a summer dish in Italy, and it’s traditionally from the south. indeed, it’s usually eaten cold during pic-nics. But believe me, it’s gorgeous warm as well. I think the major point for letting it cool is that the tomato sauce and the cheese melt together and they make a pretty dense sauce, making the parmigiana easy to be eaten with hands. however, eat it warm if you like saucy, melting foods.
Here, I’m showing my “columns” parmigiana, which is easy to share or use as appetizer. However, you could use the same recipe, but cut the aubergines on the length and get a traditional looking parmigiana. Believe me, it’s soooo tasty!
“When you cut that eggplant up and you roast it in the oven and you make the tomato sauce and you put it on top, your soul is in that food, and there’s something about that that can never be made by a company that has three million employees.”
Mario Batali
Aubergines Parmigiana
Equipment
- sauce pan
- non stick pan or grill
- oven
Ingredients
- 900 gr Aubergine
- 700 gr Passata
- 200 gr Mozzarella
- 50 gr Parmigiano
- to taste Basil
- to taste Salt and Pepper
- as required Olive Oil
Instructions
- Pour the passata on a pan with some olive oil, salt and pepper (and sugar in case you know it's really bitter. Leave it to cook at low-medium heat for at least 1h 30 min.
- Slice the Aubergine and cook them on a hot non-stick pan with a bit of oil or on a grill. it should take 5/8 min per side, just until you see them browning. When they're cooked, put them on a plate and season with salt and pepper.
- Start building up the layers on an oven tray and warm up the oven at 180/200C. The first layer at the bottom is always tomato sauce. then you go on with aubergine, tomato, mozzarella, parmesan and basil. And so on: aubergine, tomato, mozzarella, parmesan and basil. Until you finish the aubergines. You could add breadcrumbs at the top to make it crunchier.
- Put the tray in the oven for 20/25 min, until the top layer brown up. serve either warm or cold.
Nutrition Facts
4 servings per container
Calories248
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Total Fat
12.8g
20%
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Total Carbohydrate
17.6g
6%
- Dietary Fiber 7.7g 31%
- Sugars 9g
- Protein 17.5g 35%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
I do have a scientific mind, probably it’s the reason why I love to hide in the kitchen and start creating.
My cooking is healthy, fun and colorful… and really tasty!
What are you waiting for? Grab your apron and start creating with me!
