Eggplant Parmigiana (Parmigiana di Melanzane)

1. Eggplant (aubergine) – No need to salt the eggplant, it makes the overall dish too salty if you do. Eggplant will become tender with the pre-baking on trays, then baking with sauce. Contrary to popular wisdom, salting is not required to draw out bitterness. It’s been bred out of modern eggplants.

2. Mozzarella cheese – Feel free to use other good melting cheese (like cheddar, gruyere etc). These cheeses are saltier than mozzarella however, so cut back a bit on the parmesan on the top layer so the dish isn’t too salty.

3. Passata – This is pureed, strained tomatoes, sometimes labelled Tomato Puree in the US. It’s readily available in Australian supermarkets nowadays, alongside pasta sauces. It is smooth and thick rather than chunky like canned tomato, which means you don’t need simmer it for a long time to break down the tomato. More crushed canned tomato can be used instead, but simmer sauce for extra 15 minutes or so. See here for more information on passata.

4. Canned tomato – Mutti polpa / pulped tomatoes is my preferred. It’s best to use finely chopped or crushed tomato, as it will break down nicely in the required cook time. If using normal diced or chopped, then sauce will be a bit chunkier. Remember, with canned tomato, you get what you pay for. Cheap canned tomatoes tend to be quite sour and firm!

5. Making ahead and freezing – This dish is suitable for making ahead and freezing. Assemble parmigiana but do not bake. Cover with cling wrap and freeze. You can bake from frozen (~60 mins, check frequently) or thaw and bake per recipe timings.

6. Adapted from this recipe by Gourmet Traveller. Changes we made: We don’t fry the eggplant (really, you won’t miss it); we don’t salt the eggplant (it was too salty); we don’t blend the sauce (it’s really not necessary, and some texture is nice); we use less parmesan; GT don’t top with mozzarella (frankly, criminal! 😂)

7. Nutrition per serving, assuming 8 servings.