Aubergine parmigiana recipe

Aubergine parmigiana is one of the most iconic Italian dishes. It is made with fried aubergine slices, layered with tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano. The dish is then baked till golden brown.

The origins of the dish are uncertain: both Sicily and Campania claim to have created it, and there is likely to be truth in both of these claims, though it is more plausible to think that the dish was first born in Sicily, where the Arabs introduced aubergines for the first time. Only later it was modified in Naples where mozzarella was added to it.

This is one of my favourite dishes: comfort food at its best. Aubergine parmigiana is a great appetiser or side dish. It also works really well for lunch, especially if served with a green salad.

3 medium aubergines
1 garlic clove, sliced
600ml of passata
10 basil leaves
180g of mozzarella cheese, sliced
60g of Parmesan, finely grated
vegetable oil, to fry the aubergine
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
salt, to taste

1 – Slice the aubergine lengthways into 1.5cm thick slices and soak them in salty water for 30 minutes. Pat dry then fry the aubergine slices in vegetable oil until golden. Place them in a colander to drain any excess oil

2 – In the meantime, prepare the tomato sauce. Sauté the garlic with the extra virgin olive oil for 1 minute, taking care not to burn it or the sauce will taste bitter. Add the passata and basil leaves and season with salt to taste. Cover and cook for 10–15 minutes on low, then set aside

3 – Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4

4 – To assemble the parmigiana, put a scoop of tomato sauce at the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Top with a layer of fried aubergine, tomato sauce, grated Parmesan, and sliced mozzarella. Then repeat the layers until you run out of aubergine. Finish the top layer with the tomato sauce and grated Parmesan