Aubergines au Gratin,
A superb Mediterranean eggplant recipe that is a simple and easy, healthy, vegetarian eggplant recipe, full of flavor and natural goodness. It's a great dish to serve as a starter and can be served either hot or cold, or with your favorite roasted meat. Try these tasty dishes too Eggplant Caponata Recipe and Ratatouille. Eggplants are a vegetable like artichokes, often overlooked. Learn How To Cook Artichokes, and try this delicious Artichoke Salad.
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📸Ingredient Shot
📋Ingredients
- aubergines (eggplants) I like to use smaller sizes for roasted eggplant recipes like this one, as they are not as watery.
- tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes, most pair well with eggplant.
- onion and garlic, "the usual suspects".
- parsley, thyme, and basil, for delicious flavor.
- Grated cheese, such as Parmesan, or any hard cheese like cheddar.
🍴Kitchen Tools
- Sharp knife for slicing vegetables
- Collander for draining
- Casserole dish
- Serving utensil
🔢Instructions
After completing the prep of your vegetables.
Step 1
Heat a skillet to medium heat, add the oil, onion, and garlic. (do not brown)
Step 2
Add the tomatoes and mix well while cooking.
Step 3
Add the herbs and mix well. (Remove the sprig of thyme before placing the pan contents into baker.)
Step 4
Place eggplant in bottom of baker.
Step 5
Spread the tomato and onion mixture from the pan on top of eggplant.
Step 6
Sprinkle grated cheese on top, place in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until bubbly and golden.
Step 7
Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving. Dig in!
🥂How To Serve An Aubergine Recipe
- It can be served hot as a first course or as a side dish with your favorite roast meat or chicken dishes.
- It is also good served cold.
- Of course, you can simply serve it on its own with fresh, crusty bread.
It's so delicious!
🍷Wine Pairing For Aubergine Dishes
- Dry White Wines:
• Pinot Grigio Crisp, a light, and refreshing wine that will not over-power the flavors of the vegetables.
• Vermentino: a nice Italian white wine with a little acidity and citrus. - Light Reds:
• Pinot Noir: A light-bodied red that won't clash with the eggplant.
• Gamay (Beaujolais): Light, fruity, and refreshing. - Rosé:
• A dry, crisp rosé is also a good match. Fruitiness of the red wine and lightness of the white wine.
❄️Storage
- Keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- If well wrapped so no air can get in, this dish can be frozen for 2-3 months. Unthaw in fridge and warm in oven.
❔FAQ
There is no need to peel eggplant before baking, as you will be missing so much nutrition, and the dark green skin provides a good-looking contrast to the flesh of the vegetable in the finished dish.
It is not necessary for any other reason except to draw some of the water out of the vegetable to allow it to cook without absorbing too much of the other fluid in the recipe, like oil, which will make it soggy.
Many people would prefer not to eat eggplant as it can be bland on its own. But when prepared with other flavorful vegetables and cheese, it becomes a delicious comfort food, as in this recipe!
✨More Great Recipes
But, this eggplant meal is not the only one to enjoy with just vegetables; try Vegetable Bake, known in France as Tian Provencal, with zucchini, tomatoes, onions, garlic, parmesan cheese, and French herbs. Delightful! Or Vegetable Tian (sound familiar) with eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and fragrant thyme to mingle with all the veggies.
🥣How To Make This Great Eggplant Recipe
📖 Recipe
Mediterranean Eggplant Recipe - Aubergines Au Gratin
Ingredients
- 2 medium aubergines eggplants
- 6 tomatoes
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 sprigs parsley
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 sprig basil
- Salt and black pepper
- Grated cheese such as Parmesan or any hard cheese
Instructions
- Turn on the oven to 375°F/191°C/Gas 5 Moderate/Moderately Hot
- Wash aubergines and slice them length-ways.
- Sprinkle with salt and place in a colander (place a plate on the top of them with a weight on this. This will allow the excess water to run out)
- Plunge the tomatoes into boiling water for a few minutes and then peel and chop them.
- Pour the oil into a heavy-bottomed pan and sweat the onions and tomatoes with the herbs for about 15 minutes.
- You can now either rub the tomatoes through a sieve or blend them in a processor.
- Season your tomato puree (now called tomato coulis) with salt and pepper to taste.
- Rinse the aubergine slices and dry them with paper towel or a clean tea towel.
- Saute the aubergine slices in olive oil until golden brown.
- Place them in individual dishes and pour the tomato coulis over the top.
- Sprinkle with grated cheese and place in the oven until golden brown, approximately 10-15 minutes.
- Let your dish sit for 5 minutes, now it is ready to serve.
- It can be served hot as a first course or as an accompaniment with your favorite roast meat or chicken dishes.
- It is also good served cold.
Notes
- Use a slicing tool if you have one to cut all the vegetables for this recipe the same thickness, which will help the dish to bake evenly throughout.
Nutrition
Judith says
A perfect meal or side dish, this is so delicious and easy to make! Get your veggies divinely! 🍆🍅🧅🧀