Healthy version of Italian “Parmigiana di melanzane”

This recipe is a healthy version of the traditional parmigiana di melanzane (eggplant or aubergine parmesan) as it saves a lot of calories by baking the eggplants instead of frying them.

Wash and cut the aubergines into thin slices. Distribute them on a tray, salt them and let them rest (alternatively, submerge them in a bowl with well-salted water). After half an hour, a slightly dark water will appear, due to the effect of the salt. Rinse and gently press the slices to get rid of the excess of that liquid. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and spread a little extra virgin olive oil on the tray (just enough to prevent the aubergines from sticking or burning). Arrange the slices so as to cover the entire tray. Season with salt and pepper if desired, and bake for about 25 minutes, until done. Just keep an eye because it might be needed to turn them through cooking. Meanwhile, prepare the tomato sauce:

How to prepare tomato sauce

Chop the onion and garlic, discarding from both the germ if it is very green, and the outer layer of the onion.

Heat in a saucepan a spoon of extra virgin oil without letting it reach the point of smoking. Sauté the vegetables over low/moderate heat, until the onion looks transparent, but without burning. Add the passata di pomodoro. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, it’s also possible to add in this point a spoon of concentrated tomato paste, in order to thicken it. As soon as some bubbles appear, lower the heat and cover, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat after about 15 minutes, when the sauce will be already thickened, having evaporated part of the water from the vegetables.

The lay out of the parmigiana

This was the most laborious part of the process. It may seem laborious, but the different steps are done simultaneously. Now it’s time to prepare the layers of the parmigiana:

In a deep enough square or rectangular baking form, first paint with a thin layer of tomato sauce and add a few fresh basil leaves. It is important that the layer of sauce is enough but also subtle, we don’t want the rest of the ingredients to be “swimming” in tomato. Then cover the sauce with a layer of aubergine slices, and lastly, put a third layer of fior di latte (or mozzarella) in small pieces. Repeat successively following the same order (tomato and basil, aubergine, cheese) until having completed a total of three layers of each ingredient. At the end, spread a some grated Parmesan cheese (Grana Padano or Pecorino is also possible) on top, and then bake for about 15 minutes. The Parmigiana will be ready when the cheese is nicely browned.

Wait until the preparation cools down before serving, since it will lose the form if we try to cut portions immediately.

Tips and tricks for the parmigiana:

1. The step of salting the aubergine is important to remove that water which produces a bitter taste.
2. It’s convenient to cut the mozzarella into small pieces and strain, in order to get rid of the excess liquid.
3. Although it’s not the traditional way, it’s possible to replace all or part of the eggplant with zucchini, as an alternative.
4. It’s desirable to simmer the tomato sauce enough time, until it’s thickened. The parmigiana is nicer when there is not much liquid in the layers.
5. Precisely because of the last observation, I prefer to buy grated mozzarella for this recipe. The fresh one loses too much water during the cooking.

Tips and tricks for the tomato sauce:

1. The reason to discard the green germ of the garlic and onion is that it can be a bit indigestible. The outer layer of the onion is also discarded because it’s usually harder.
2. The tomato that breaks into a boil can literally jump all over the kitchen, that’s why it’s preferable to prepare the tomato sauce in a saucepan and not in a frying pan.
3. Instead of passata, we can use crushed tomato. The advantage of the passata is that being made from ripe tomatoes, it has just the right point of sweetness. When using fresh crushed tomatoes, first peel them and add a teaspoon of sugar to compensate their acidity. Or, an option for avoiding that extra sugar is to add a little more onion, since it is a vegetable that caramelizes when sautéed over moderate heat.
4. In order to peel tomatoes easily, just soak them in boiled water for a minute.