Aubergine parmigiana lasagne
Oh this really ticks all the boxes. A hybrid of a classic lasagne but with the taste of an aubergine parmigiana. Traditionally the aubergines are fried in lots of oil before layering making them meltingly soft and rich however not very waistline friendly. Aubergines are particularly porous so really suck up oil, therefore baking them and layering with a silky parmesan béchamel still hints towards the same feeling of indulgence. A vegetable packed ragu is the perfect layering sauce to add flavour and nutritional density with a secret star of chargrilled red peppers. Comfort food and healthy at the same time. Enjoy!
Serves 2-3
You will need
Lasagne sheets
2 large aubergines
1 white onion
1 celery stick
1 carrot
1 small courgette (1/2 a large)
150g mushrooms
Tinned chopped tomatoes & sun-dried tomato puree (4 chopped sun dried tomatoes is fine)
Chargrilled red peppers
Basil
2 garlic cloves
Parmesan, semi skimmed milk, butter and flour.
Bouillon seasoning
Method
Cut the aubergine nice and thin lengthways into long slices, around 0.5cm. Lay baking parchment or foil over a baking tray. Brush the aubergine with a little olive oil on both sides. Roast in the oven at 180c fan until soft but still holding shape. If you over cook they will go to mush. Put to one side.
Prepare the ragu by sweating chopped onion, carrot and celery with 1 tbsp olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Add thinly sliced courgettes (cut into quarters then slice thin), chopped mushrooms and grated garlic cloves. Cook down until all the vegetables are soft, adding water to the pan if it starts to catch. Add tinned tomatoes, 1/2 tin of water, a good amount of sun dried tomato paste, and 2 chopped chargrilled peppers. Season with pepper and boullion to taste. Cook down until the sauce is thick and resembles a jar of pasta sauce. Throw in a fistful of fresh basil to finish.
Make the béchamel (a quick cheats version), melt 25g butter in a saucepan and add equal amounts of plain flour. Cook on a low heat stirring constantly for around 5 minutes to cook it out. Slowly add cold milk, whisking well to ensure no lumps. Add around 350ml of milk little by little keeping on a low heat so it thickens. Stir so it doesn’t catch on the bottle. Add in 2 tsp of bouillon, black pepper, and grate 40g parmesan in.
Assembly time. In a nice small but deep dish, put a layer of ragu, a drizzle of béchamel, extra little grating of parmesan and a layer of aubergine. Top the aubergine with a layer of pasta sheets. (Make sure you leave enough béchamel for the top). Repeat: ragu, béchamel, cheese, aubergine pasta finishing with pasta topped with the béchamel and extra sprinkle of parmesan. Aim for 3-4 layers of pasta including the top.
Bake in the oven for around 30-40 mins at 180c fan until the top is golden brown and bubbling. Leave to rest for 20 minutes until serving to let it ‘set’.