Parmigiana di Melanzane (Layered Fried Aubergine with Tomato and Mozzarella)
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats.
Aubergine slices salted, blotted and fried until browned, then layered with garlic and basil tomato sauce, mozzarella and oregano and baked at 200 °C until bubbling. Rested 10 min before cutting.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Salt the aubergine. Lay the slices on the racks, sprinkle both sides lightly with salt and leave for 20 min, then blot very dry.
- 2
Make the sauce. Meanwhile, warm the oil and garlic in the saucepan over medium heat until the garlic sizzles. Add the tomatoes and half the basil and simmer for 20-25 min until thick, then season with the salt.
- 3
Fry. Heat 1 cm oil in the frying pan to about 180 °C. Fry the slices in batches for 2-3 min per side until browned, and drain on kitchen paper. Heat the oven to 200 °C.
- 4
Layer and bake. Spread a thin layer of sauce in the dish, then layer aubergine, sauce, mozzarella, oregano and the rest of the basil, repeating and finishing with sauce and cheese. Bake for 25-30 min until bubbling and browned. Rest for 10 min before cutting and serve topped with basil.

Cat tip
Drain the fried slices well, or the dish will be greasy.
More from the cat
- Make it a day ahead; it slices more neatly once set.
Storage
Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat covered at 180 °C until piping hot (74 °C). Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Equipment
- 2 wire racks set over trays
- kitchen paper
- heavy cast-iron or deep frying pan
- saucepan
- 20 x 25 cm baking dish (about 1500 ml)
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 435 kcal |
| Protein | 16 g |
| Carbohydrate | 20.4 g |
| of which sugars | 11.8 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 34.1 g |
| of which saturates | 10.7 g |
| Fibre | 7.2 g |
| Salt | 2.36 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
3.7 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
