Aubergine parmigiana

Lighter aubergine parmigiana

5 December 2023

This aubergine parmigiana recipe is full of fibre and lower in fat and calories compared to the standard version.

Nutritional highlights

This dish provides us with a good source of fibre largely down to the aubergines.

Fibre - needed by our digestive system to run smoothly, fibre can lead to an increase in gut health which can help us manage our sugar and cholesterol levels.

>Read more about good gut health.

Aubergines are also good sources of vitamins B1 and B6 also known as thiamine and pyridoxine respectively.

Vitamin B1 - helps turn the food we eat into energy and helps to keep our immune system healthy.

Vitamin B6 - helps us use the energy from carbohydrates, our primary fuel source, and keeps our oxygen-carrying red blood cells healthy.

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Cheese and spinach stuffed portobello mushrooms

Tofu and spinach cannelloni

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Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 60 minutes

  • 4 aubergines, sliced into 1/2cm thick slices lengthwise
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 250g reduced fat mozzarella, thinly sliced
  • Handful fresh basil, chopped
  • 3 thyme sprigs
  • 8 large sage leaves, finely chopped

Method

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas mark 6.

Put the aubergine slices onto trays lined with parchment paper and brush both sides of the slices with olive oil.

Roast in the oven for 30 minutes and flip halfway through making sure they are soft and just crisping at the edges.

Meanwhile heat the remaining olive oil in a pan and cook the onion, garlic, thyme and sage for 5-10 minutes or until soft.

Add in the chopped tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes.

In a baking dish, layer the aubergine slices and sauce. Then about halfway add a layer of half the mozzarella and basil.

Continue with the aubergine and sauce layers then finish with the remaining mozzarella and basil.

Put into the oven for 30 minutes or until golden. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Healthy swaps/tips

The mozzarella can be replaced with cheddar, if you wish.

You can keep it simple by swapping out the thyme, sage and basil with some dried Italian herbs.