Eggplant Parmigiana with Spinach and Ricotta

 

A southern Italian classic, Eggplant Parmigiana is a pasta-free vegetarian lasagna, made with thin slices of eggplant instead of pasta, layered with tomatoes, fresh basil, spinach and plenty of molten mozzarella, ricotta and parmesan cheese. With its layers of sweetly acidic tomato sauce, grilled-until-collapsing aubergine and generous amounts of oozing, stringy cheese, Parmigiana di Melanzane is comfort food at its finest. 

Baked at 375°F for about 30 minutes until bubbly and golden brown

Parmigiana di Melanzane with Spinach and Ricotta

Serves 4-6

Recipe courtesy of Thomasina Miers, The Guardian UK

For the sauce:
2 lb ripe tomatoes, or use tinned
2 red onions, peeled and quartered
4 garlic cloves, peeled
3 tbsp good olive oil 
1 tsp soft brown sugar, or to taste
1 large bunch basil, leaves picked

For the filling:
1 lb large leaf spinach
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lb/250g ricotta
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 oz parmesan, finely grated
Salt and pepper
3 large aubergines
1/2 lb/250g mozzarella

Wash and shake the spinach of any excess water. Heat a large pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil and the leaves, and cook, stirring, for a few minutes, until they have mostly collapsed. Tip into a bowl, stir in the ricotta, nutmeg and 2/3 of the parmesan, season generously, then set aside.

To make the sauce, blitz the tomatoes, onion and garlic in a food processor for a minute. Pour three tablespoons of oil into the same pan in which you wilted the leaves, and set over a medium-high heat. Add the puréed tomato mix, cook on a high heat for a few minutes, then turn the heat down low. Stir in the sugar, season generously and leave to simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for at least 15-20 minutes, and the longer, the better. After the sauce has been cooking for 10 minutes, shred all but a handful of the basil leaves and stir them in; reserve the remaining whole leaves to garnish.

Meanwhile, heat a grill to its highest setting, or a large frying pan. Cut the aubergines lengthways into roughly 1/4-inch thick slices. Don’t worry if they’re not uniform, because the slices will be covered in the silky tomato sauce later. Brush both sides with olive oil and grill or griddle for 5-6 minutes a side, until well browned and extremely soft to the point of a knife – raw, pale aubergine is never a good thing.

Heat the oven to 375°F. Taste the tomato sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and sugar, as necessary. Spread a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of a medium-sized baking dish, and top first with a layer of the aubergine slices, followed by a layer of the spinach and ricotta mix. Shred a quarter of the mozzarella over the spinach layer, season lightly, then repeat with one or two more layers of each, depending on the size of your dish. Top with a final layer of tomato sauce. Scatter over the last of the mozzarella, parmesan and the reserved basil leaves, then drizzle with a little olive oil and bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden. Remove and leave to rest for five to 10 minutes before serving.