Eggplant Parmigiana with a Rocket Salad

Eggplant season is upon us and we’re making the most of it. This is our take on a lighter eggplant parmigiana using ricotta in the filling which makes it delicious and creamy. Paired with a fresh rocket salad

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Roast the eggplant (allow to cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge). 


Ingredients:

  • 3 large or 4 small eggplants
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper


Method: 

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees fan bake. Slice the eggplant into aprox ½ cm rounds. Pop on a baking tray (you’ll probably need 2 trays with this amount of eggplant) and season with salt and pepper and drizzle/brush over a generous amount of olive oil.
  2. Pop in the oven to roast for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

 

Make the tomato sauce (allow to cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge). 


Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 brown onion (finely diced)
  • 3 Tbsp fresh herbs or 1 Tbsp dried herbs (chopped finely)
  • 3 garlic cloves (crushed)
  • 1 Tbsp capers (finely chopped)
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • ½ cup of water
  • Salt and pepper to taste


Method: 

  1. Add a generous drizzle of olive oil to a medium-sized pan over a medium heat; add the onions, crushed garlic, and herbs. Cook for 5 minutes or so until the onions have softened. Add the capers and cook for another couple of minutes.

  2. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and water, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes until it has reduced slightly and developed in flavour. 

 

 

  • You can BBQ the eggplant slices instead of roasting them if you’d prefer.

  • When we roast / BBQ eggplant we like to pour some olive oil into a ramekin and brush the olive oil over the rounds. This ensures an even and coating of olive oil which is beneficial for even cooking. 

Vegetables

  • You can serve alongside some steamed greens instead of the rocket salad.


Other

  • Top with some breadcrumbs for a delicious, crispy topping. 
Ingredients
  • 3 large or 4 small eggplants
  • 250g ricotta
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese (grated)
  • 1 brown onion (finely diced)
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 3 garlic cloves (crushed)
  • 1 Tbsp capers (chopped finely)
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • ½ cup of water
  • Salt and pepper
  • 125g mozzarella (sliced)
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper‍


Salad

  • 1 bag of rocket (120g)
  • 1 avocado (diced)
  • ¼ cucumber (diced)
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese (shaved)


Dressing

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
  • 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
  • Salt and pepper
Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees fan bake. Slice the eggplant into approx ½ cm rounds. Pop on a baking tray (you’ll probably need 2 trays with this amount of eggplant) and season with salt and pepper and drizzle/brush over a generous amount of olive oil.

  2. Pop in the oven to roast for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

  3. In the meantime, you can make the tomato sauce. Add a generous drizzle of olive oil to a medium-sized pan over medium heat; add the onions, crushed garlic, and herbs. Cook for 5 minutes or so until the onions have softened. Add the capers and cook for another couple of minutes.

  4. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and water, bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer for about 15 minutes until it has reduced slightly and developed in flavour.

  5. Once the eggplant has cooked you can start to assemble the eggplant parmigiana. Add a couple of spoonfuls of the tomato sauce to a medium-sized baking dish then add a layer of the roasted eggplant, followed by dollops of the ricotta and a sprinkle of parmesan, then more of the tomato sauce continue doing this in layers until you’ve used everything.

  6. Top with some slices of mozzarella and then cover with tinfoil. Allow to cook for 30 minutes before removing the tinfoil and cooking for another 10 minutes.

  7. While the parmigiana is cooking, assemble the salad, add the rocket, cucumber and avocado to a large salad bowl or platter. To make the dressing add all of the ingredients to a glass jar and shake well to combine. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to coat, top with shaved parmesan.

  8. Serve the eggplant parmigiana alongside the salad and enjoy!
Variations

Vegetables

  • You can serve alongside some steamed greens instead of the rocket salad.


Other

  • Top with some breadcrumbs for a delicious, crispy topping. 

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