You can indulge on Meatless Mondays with this eggplant parmigiana that’ll remind you fondly of lasagnes soaked in an abundance of delightful tomato sauce. The best part of this recipe is that it takes no more than cooking the eggplants and putting it all into the oven!
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) olive oil
- 1 medium (150 g) brown onion, chopped coarsely
- 2 clove garlic, crushed
- 400 g (12½ ounces) canned diced tomatoes
- 2 cup (560 g) bottled tomato passata
- ¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 2 medium (600 g), eggplants, sliced thickly
- ¼ cup (35 g) plain (all-purpose) flour
- ⅓ cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- 200 g (6½ ounces) bocconcini, slicked thinly
- ⅔ cup (50 g) parmesan finely grated
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
Steps
Preheat oven to 180 C (160 C fan forced).
Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, cook onion, stirring, until soft. Add garlic, cook, stirring, until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes, passata and chilli, season to taste. Transfer mixture to a medium jug.
Toss eggplant in flour to coat, shake off excess. Heat remaining oil in same pan, cook eggplant, in batches, until browned on both sides. Drain on paper towel.
Layer half the eggplant in a 18 cm x 25 cm (7¼ inch x 10 inch) ovenproof dish, season. Top with half the tomato mixture, basil and bocconcini. Repeat layering, finishing with parmesan. Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake, covered, 30 mins. Uncover, bake further 15 mins or until browned and tender.