
Roasted Aubergines & A Fab Cherry Tomato Sauce
This is sooo good – I even made two versions of it! Gooey roasted aubergines, crispy garlic & herbs served on a new season summer cherry tomato sauce which is tangy, sweet and a little spicy.
Best of all – it can all come together in under 40 minutes!
If you find yourself in the midst of winter
If you can’t even imagine finding summer ripened tomatoes, then make this quick & easy 15-minute tomato sauce.
Using in-season, organic & sun ripened tomatoes
Many commercially grown tomatoes are often cultivated for characteristics like uniform appearance and durability during transportation, sacrificing flavour in the process. The focus on mass production (most are planted in greenhouse tunnels with artificial lighting and conditions) and extended shelf life can lead to tomatoes with a less vibrant and robust taste compared to varieties cultivated for their flavour rather than their commercial appeal.
When thinking about how one can inject some FLAVOUR into your dishes one should I would strongly urge you to invest in supporting small scale organic farmers. Produce are planted and harvested in their natural season ensuring they are only picked when ripe which translates into flavour on your plate.
I love to support farmers, markets and businesses who support more sustainable growing initiatives.
For the best tomatoes:
- Neighbourhood Farms (in this recipe)
- Those Who Harvest
- the most impressive tomato stand probably this side of Italy is at my local farmers market – OZCF market
- Wild Organics
More cherry tomato recipes
- butter roasted cherry tomato pastaÂ
- slow cooked cherry tomato pasta with mintÂ
- roasted green beans and cherry tomatoes with spiced tahini (side)
- whipped goats cheese with roasted cherry tomatoes (dip -SOO GOOD)
Serving suggestions
You can make this into a complete meal with barlotti beans in this recipe of mine. Â The addition of torn burrata over the top would be a wonderful! Serve with my no-knead focaccia!

Roasted Aubergines & A Fab Cherry Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 large aubergines
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves finely sliced
- 6 twigs woody herbs like origanum thyme or marjoram
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- crumbled feta to serve (opt)
- flaky sea salt & pepper
Organic Cherry Tomato Sauce
- 600 g cherry tomatoes
- 10 cm fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 1 red chilli chopped or 1tspn smoked chilli flakes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200c and line a large baking tray, big enough to accommodate the sliced aubergines without any overlap, or use two baking trays instead.
- Top & tail the aubergines and slice into thick (2cm) rounds. Add to a bowl and generously season with salt and pepper and olive oil, toss with your hands. Lay the aubergines on the baking sheet(s) and generously drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, turning once - the aubergines needs to be soft and starting to caramelise at the sides. TIP: it's important for aubergines to stay moist, if your aubergines appear to be kinda 'leathery' looking, add more olive oil and roast further.
- To make the crisp garlic and herbs, place a small sieve over a heatproof bowl. Add 4 tbsp olive oil to a small frying pan, then add the garlic slices and place over a medium heat - this is key to avoid the burning of the garlic which makes it bitter and inedible. Fry for 2/3 minutes until the garlic starts to appear a very light golden, now add the herb stalks, taking care as they might spit oil, when the herbs are crispy, tip the oil, garlic and herbs into the sieve reserving the fragrant oil into the heatproof bowl.
- Meanwhile make the tomato sauce. In a food processor, add the cherry tomatoes, ginger and chilli and season generously with salt and pepper. Blitz for a minute or two until the sauce is complete smooth.
- Add 1/2 the garlic oil to a saucepan and add the tomato sauce as well. Let it all come to a rapid boil for 30 seconds before turning the heat down to a very gentle simmer. Simmer (without a lid) for 20 minutes until the sauce is reduced, glossy and thickened. Taste and season with salt & pepper. The sauce should taste lovely! If it's still too runny, let it gently simmer along until you are happy with the taste and consistency.
- To serve, add the tomato sauce to a serving platter and top with the roasted aubergines. Drizzle with the remaining garlic oil and season with salt & pepper. Finish with the crispy garlic and herbs and chopped fresh herbs (and prob a little more oil). Crumble feta over if using. Enjoy