Hasselback Aubergine Parmigiana
You've got to try this simple and summery aubergine recipe. Stuffed with cheese and fresh basil leaves, then roasted in an oregano tomato sauce, it really is tasty – and perfect on its own or as a side dish.
Substitute:
- No aubergine? Try with courgette.
- No mozzarella? Leave it out or swap it for feta.
- Vegan? Use any vegan cheese, or tofu, instead.
- No tomato sauce? Use passata or just the 2 cans of chopped tomatoes.
- No oregano? Swap for rosemary or thyme. Any italian mix of dried herbs will work, too.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Servings: 3
Ingredients:
2 Aubergines
1 Onion
1 Mozzarella
30 g Parmesan
10 Basil leaves
400 g Tomato sauce
400 g Tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp Oregano
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Recipe:
- Preheat the oven to 190C/170 fan/ gas mark 5. Prepare the tomato sauce by dicing the onion (make sure you compost the skin or keep it for stock). Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion for 5 minutes to soften. Add the oregano, tomato sauce and chopped tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, then simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the sauce into the baking dish.
- Make widthways cuts across the aubergines at 1cm intervals, three quarters of the way through (make sure the slices are still attached at the bottom). Top tip: Use two wooden spoons on each side of the aubergine to get perfect hasselback cuts and avoid cutting through.
- Slice the mozzarella, grate the parmesan and pick the basil leaves and gently stuff it all into the aubergine cuts.
- Place the stuffed aubergines in the baking dish on top of the sauce. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season to taste and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the aubergines are tender. Top with more fresh basil and serve.
How to store
Store the hasselback aubergine parmigiana in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 3 days.
Leftovers
Aubergine dip: Add the aubergine and tomato sauce leftovers into a food processor along with a little tahini, and blend until smooth. You can spice things up with a little smoked paprika, chilli powder, garlic and lemon juice. Season to taste and serve with toast, crackers or crudites. Aubergine pasta sauce: Similar to the dip but without the tahini. Blend all the leftovers until smooth and serve with your favourite al dente pasta. Aubergine pizza: Slice the aubergine following the hasselback cuts for the pizza topping. Use the tomato sauce as pizza sauce. For the pizza dough, you can make it yourself from flour, yeast, sugar and water.
