Call it what you like, aubergine, eggplant or bringal – this glorious plant can be served fried, roasted or grilled to give you one of the most flavourful meals. Bringal, as it’s known in South Africa, can be used as a meat substitute in curries, or for some tasty texture in dips, salads and wraps. But best of all, this colourful plant makes a delicious wholesome vegetable lasagne!
Foodie and Eetrite fan @Tazzy01 created this vegie twist on an Italian classic for us and it is filled with nothing but love and incredible flavour! Give it a try!
You will need:
2 x large aubergine
Olive oil
Salt & pepper for seasoning
A handful of Thyme (stripped off the stem)
800ml crushed tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
A handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped
500g ricotta cheese
lemon juice
60g grated hard cheese/parmesan
250g lasagna sheets
150g bocconcini mozzarella
Get started:
Prep the bringal
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Slice the aubergine into 1cm thick discs.
Drizzle a baking tray with olive oil.
Place the discs side by side on the tray – do not overlap.
Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt.
Place in the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and reduce the heat of the oven to 180°C.
Tomato sauce
Heat a glug of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and thyme. Cook for 2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add basil and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
Prep the ricotta
In a medium bowl, mix together ricotta cheese with a squeeze of lemon juice and half of the parmesan cheese.
Start by spreading a layer of the tomato sauce across the base of your large baking dish.
Cover with a layer of lasagna sheets and then start layering as follows:
Layering
Tomato sauce
Aubergine slices
Ricotta cheese mix
Lasagne sheets
Repeat above layers
Tomato sauce
30g parmesan
Top with halved bocconcini
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
Change the setting to grill and allow the top to go golden.
Serve with sliced French loaf and a side salad.