Vegan aubergine parmigiana (fried aubergine, rigotta + smoked MozzaRisella)
Servings
4
Prep Time
60
Cook Time
40
About This Recipe
For a 20 x 30cm baking dish, serves 4.
Created by Dan Jacobs inspired by V.
I bought all the vegan cheese from La Fauxmagerie (sometimes sold in Waitrose but with a small shop in Purezza, Camden).
Ingredients
2 large aubergines (or 3 medium)
Fine salt (for drawing out moisture)
Neutral oil for shallow-frying (sunflower/veg)
Plain flour, 3–4 tbsp (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
700g passata
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp dried oregano
Pinch chilli flakes (optional)
Black pepper
1 tsp sugar (optional)
Basil (a big handful, torn, or 1 tsp dried basil)
1 tub vegan ricotta-style
1 pack MozzaRisella smoked mozzarella-style
Optional: vegan parmesan alternative, a small handful, grated
4 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp olive oil
Black pepper
Optional: 1 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
Slice aubergines into 5–8mm rounds. Salt both sides and leave for 20–30 minutes. Rinse and dry well.
Heat olive oil in a saucepan. Cook onion with a pinch of salt for 8–10 minutes until soft. Add garlic for 30 seconds, stir in tomato purée, then add passata, oregano, chilli (if using), and pepper. Simmer for 15–25 minutes until thick. Taste and add sugar if needed. Stir in basil at the end.
Heat 1–1.5cm oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat. Dust aubergine slices lightly with flour if desired. Fry in batches until golden (1–2 minutes per side), then drain on kitchen paper.
Prepare the cheeses: drain excess oil from rigotta and mash lightly. Pat dry and slice MozzaRisella thin.
Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan). In a 20 x 30cm dish, spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom. Layer: aubergine, 1/3 of sauce, half the rigotta, a few MozzaRisella slices, optional vegan parmesan. Repeat with remaining rigotta, another 1/3 sauce, and more MozzaRisella. Top with remaining aubergine, sauce, and MozzaRisella.
Mix panko, nutritional yeast, olive oil, pepper, and oregano (if using) with fingers until it resembles damp sand. Scatter over the top.
Bake for 30–40 minutes until bubbling and browned. Cover with foil if the top browns early. Rest for 15–20 minutes before slicing.