
Aubergine & Barlotti Bean Parmigiana
Oh how I love an ‘ALL IN ONE’ meal!
I really do mean a MEAL which needs to include everything I love, in this case, a zippy homemade fresh tomato sauce (no tomato was skinned on site! :-), beans (how I love a bean), roasted aubergines (from my garden ?!) and lots of greens.
This recipe is the kind of ‘pop-in-the-oven-for-later-dish’ that brings me so much joy! I love the fact that I have the freedom to pop to any class late afternoon knowing supper is waiting when I am back.
The topping is really the best bit, right? So here I have topped the dish with local buffalo mozzarella from our own water buffalo herd (how cool?), if you are lucky enough to live in Cape Town you can shop it here.
I have been reading and studying lots of different eating routines (I am over the word ‘diet’) and how they relate and digest in our bodies. We are all unique, we are all multidimensional and all our needs and approaches to food is our own. There really is not a one size fits all when it comes to nutrition.
Most of what I am reading is looking for answers within my own body as it feels like at 46 I woke up one day with someone else’s body? My WTF moment made be do some digging, searching and implementing.
What I do know is that food needs to bring you JOY, its vital. If you are eating food that is bland, dull and frankly boring, whatever path you are on it will not be sustainable.
SO, my mission and my purpose is to cook good food that’s appetising, delicious and will inspire you to cook it!
THIS dish is my kind of food! Filled with fibre (greens & beans), protein (beans & cheese) and healthy carbs.
Serving Suggestions: The dish makes a wonderful sauce for anything next to it, think pasta, roasted veggies or even a nachos style dip. I think these sides would be perfect, a simple salad and lovely greens (yes, more greens, always). ,
Leftover Magic: How good will this not taste as a ‘Shakshuka’ vibe (eggs ontop, chilli ramped up)?
Seasonal Swops: you can use any woody herb for the beginning of the sauce, thyme, oregano, marjoram and rosemary would all work well (leaves only), you can also use any soft herb to season the end of the sauce, basil, tarragon and parsley will all work well too. You can use any 2 tins of beans you have and they don’t need to be the same. Feel free to play around with the addition of chopped greens, kale, chard or spinach will work and you can also double up the amount.
Vegan: the recipe is easily adaptable, simply leave out the cheese or replace with a good dairy alternative.

Aubergine & Bean Parmigiana
Ingredients
- 600 g aubergines sliced lengthways (about 3 large ones)
- 2 fat garlic cloves minced
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- 200 g Swiss chard washed and chopped
- 2 x buffalo mozzarella balls roughly torn
- 1/2 cup local parmesan freshly grated
Fresh Easy Tomato Sauce
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- Pinch smoked chilli flakes
- 4 garlic cloves sliced
- Any woody herbs rosemary, thyme etc chopped
- 600 g fresh tomatoes chopped
- 2 x 400g tins barlotti beans
- 130 g tomato paste a whole tube
- 1 x 400g tin whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 x 680ml bottle tomato passata
- 4 tablespoons chopped basil
- 4 tablespoons chopped parsley opt
Instructions
- Roast the aubergines: Preheat the oven to 200c, add the aubergine slices to a bowl, season generously with salt, pepper, the garlic and a generous drizzle of olive oil, mix with your hands. Line one or two baking trays with baking paper, add the aubergines in a single layer to the trays and roast for 20 minutes, turning once, until the aubergines are golden and cooked, set aside.
- For the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan on a medium heat, add the fennel seeds, garlic cloves and herbs that you are using, heat stirring continuously (keep an eye on the garlic, we don’t want it to brown) for about 3 minutes. Add the fresh tomatoes and season generously with salt and fresh pepper, let the tomatoes bubble away, with the lid ajar until the tomatoes are cooked and look like a sauce - this will take about 15 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, tin tomatoes and passata, give it a good stir before adding the beans, stir and taste for seasoning, its should really taste lip-smackingly delicious at this stage. Stir through the basil.
- To assemble, use a deep ceramic baking dish, start by adding a good dollop of tomato sauce to the base making sure to cover the whole base, now add a layer of greens, some parmesan and a layer of aubergines (tomatoes, greens, parmesan & aubergines). Continue to layer the dish until you finish with a layer of tomatoes, add the final amount of parmesan and dollop the mozzarella on top, sprinkle with chopped parsley if using and a final season of salt, pepper and a drizzle olive oil.
- To bake: bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until bubbly, golden and heated through. Enjoy!