Ingredients Print

Check off ingredients as you go

Serves 6 (a 30 cm / 12-inch round dish or a 22x32 cm / 9x13-inch rectangular dish)

• 1 kg (2.2 lb) eggplant (aubergine), cut into thin rounds (about 3 large)
• 350 g (12 oz) mozzarella, diced, or 300 g (3 cups) shredded mozzarella
• 100 g (1 cup) grated Parmesan

For the tomato sauce

• 800 g (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato paste (135 g / 4.75 oz)
• 1 glass (200 ml / ¾ cup + 1 Tbsp) water
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed, green germ removed
• 1 pinch dried chili flakes (optional)
• a few basil leaves (chopped, plus whole leaves for garnish)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt, pepper

If you change the number of serving, consider adjusting cooking times!

Preparing the eggplant

1. Wash the eggplant and cut it into thin rounds (between 0.7 and 1 cm / about ⅓ inch thick). Sprinkle with salt and let them release their water for 30 minutes, then pat them dry thoroughly.

Making the tomato sauce

2. Meanwhile, put the onion in a saucepan and sauté it for 8-10 minutes in 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add the garlic, the tomato paste, a good pinch of oregano (and the chili flakes, if using), and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, add a small glass of water and a drizzle of olive oil. Simmer over low heat for 35-40 minutes (setting 4 on an induction cooktop). Add a little basil at the end of cooking.
3. And here’s my tip: blend the sauce in a blender or with an immersion blender. You get a lovely smooth sauce with no bits of onion - and so no kid saying they don’t like it (they loved it!) - it works on reluctant husbands too! ;) The sauce is fairly thick, that’s normal; if your sauce is too runny, you’ll have a hard time cutting clean slices after baking.

Roasting the eggplant

4. Arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush them generously with olive oil on both sides so they cook without burning. Roast at 220°C (425°F) for 25 minutes, turning them halfway through, until they are nicely golden, tender and slightly caramelized around the edges.

5. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).

Assembling the parmigiana

6. In a baking dish, spread a ladleful of tomato sauce evenly over the bottom, then add a layer of eggplant, sprinkle with mozzarella, then grated Parmesan and chopped basil. Repeat, and finish with a layer of eggplant topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. (I made 3 layers.) Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the cheese has melted and formed a beautiful golden, bubbling crust. Garnish with whole basil leaves and serve!

Tips and planning

• This dish is delicious made the day before and reheated the next day, as the flavors will have melded nicely. In that case, it’s best to bake it 5 minutes less, refrigerate it, and reheat it in the oven the next day (20 minutes at 170°C / 325°F, with the dish covered so it doesn’t dry out).

• If you’d like to freeze it, assemble the parmigiana and put it in the freezer. You can also freeze it already baked.

• If you have too many roasted eggplant slices, they make a very popular starter or kemia (Tunisian-style appetizer spread)!