Grilled Aubergine Parmigiana

Details

• Author: CuisineSavvy
• Cuisine: Italian
• Course: Main
• Servings: 6
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 55 minutes
• Diet: Vegan
• Tags: vegan, grilled, aubergine, parmigiana, Italian, barbecue, dairy-free, egg-free, summer, comfort food, cast iron, plant-based

Nutritional Values

Grilling rather than shallow-frying the aubergine reduces the oil in this dish from several hundred millilitres to two tablespoons — aubergine is exceptionally absorbent when breaded and fried, and this single change transforms the nutritional character of the recipe. The cannellini bean cream replaces a pound of fresh mozzarella and three ounces of Parmesan with a legume base that carries meaningful protein and fibre; white miso is added not as a health ingredient but because it replicates the aged, savoury depth of cheese that a plain bean purée cannot. The breadcrumb and flour coating is removed entirely, along with the four eggs that bound it. The result is a dish built on vegetables, pulses, tinned tomatoes and a small amount of good olive oil.

Nutrient	Amount	% Daily Value
Calories	260 kcal	--
Total Fat	7 g	9%
Saturated Fat	1 g	5%
Monounsaturated Fat	4 g	--
Polyunsaturated Fat	1 g	--
Sodium	430 mg	19%
Total Carbohydrate	45 g	16%
Dietary Fiber	11 g	39%
Total Sugars	12 g	--
Protein	12 g	24%

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Grilled Aubergine Parmigiana

Smoky, charred aubergine layered with fierce tomato sauce, a savoury cannellini cream and torn basil — this is a parmigiana that earns its name without any dairy, and tastes deeply of fire and the garden. The white bean layer melts into the sauce as it bakes, setting into something rich and almost molten beneath a crisped wholemeal crumb. Serve it straight from a cast-iron dish at the table, with a glass of Sicilian red or something cold and fizzy alongside.

Ingredients
[ ] 4 kg aubergines (about 3 large), sliced lengthwise 1 cm thick
[ ] 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
[ ] 2 x 400 g tins whole plum tomatoes
[ ] 1 x 400 g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (reserve the liquid)
[ ] 4 tbsp nutritional yeast, divided
[ ] 2 tbsp lemon juice
[ ] 1 tbsp white miso paste
[ ] 3 garlic cloves — 2 thinly sliced, 1 crushed
[ ] 1 tsp dried oregano
[ ] 1/4 tsp chilli flakes
[ ] 40 g wholemeal breadcrumbs
[ ] 30 g fresh basil leaves
[ ] 1/4 tsp black pepper
[ ] 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

Instructions
[ ] 1. Lay the aubergine slices in a single layer on a clean surface or wire rack. Sprinkle lightly with salt and leave for 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly under cold water and press firmly dry with a clean cloth. Do not skip this step — it drives off the water that would otherwise make the finished dish watery.
[ ] 2. Place a wide saucepan over a medium heat. Add a thin film of oil and fry the 2 sliced garlic cloves for 1 minute until fragrant but not browned.
[ ] 3. Add the tinned tomatoes, crushing each one by hand as it goes in. Add the oregano and chilli flakes, season lightly, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and no longer sharp. If it tastes acidic, give it more time — not sugar.
[ ] 4. Combine the drained cannellini beans, 3 tbsp of the nutritional yeast, the lemon juice, white miso, crushed garlic clove, and black pepper in a blender or food processor. Blend until very smooth, adding the reserved bean liquid a tablespoon at a time until the cream is thick but spoonable — roughly the consistency of ricotta. Taste and adjust lemon or miso.
[ ] 5. In a small bowl, toss the wholemeal breadcrumbs with the remaining 1 tbsp nutritional yeast and a small pinch of salt. Set aside.
[ ] 6. OVEN METHOD — Preheat the oven to 220 °C fan. Brush both sides of the dried aubergine slices with the 2 tbsp olive oil. Arrange in a single layer on two large baking trays, working in batches if needed. Roast for 20 minutes, turning once, until golden and beginning to collapse. Set aside. | BARBECUE METHOD (preferred) — Light the barbecue and wait for medium-hot coals with a faint ash. Brush both sides of the dried aubergine slices with the 2 tbsp olive oil. Grill directly over the coals for 3 to 4 minutes per side until deep grill marks appear and the flesh is collapsing and yielding. Set aside.
[ ] 7. Use a baking dish approximately 30 x 22 cm (or a cast-iron dish of similar size). Spread a ladleful of tomato sauce across the base, then lay a single layer of grilled aubergine slices on top. Add generous spoonfuls of cannellini cream, then scatter over torn fresh basil.
[ ] 8. Repeat the sequence — tomato sauce, aubergine, cannellini cream, torn basil — twice more until the aubergine and sauce are used up, finishing with a layer of tomato sauce on top.
[ ] 9. Scatter the breadcrumb and nutritional yeast mixture evenly over the top layer only — not between the layers, where it would turn to paste.
[ ] 10. OVEN METHOD — Reduce the oven to 190 °C fan. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is deeply browned and the edges are bubbling. | BARBECUE METHOD — Move the assembled dish to the indirect side of the barbecue. Replace the lid, open the vents fully, and bake at around 190 °C for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the dish once halfway through, until the crumb is crisped and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
[ ] 11. Remove from the oven or barbecue and leave to rest for a full 15 minutes before cutting. After 15 minutes the layers will hold and the dish will be at its best.

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