Description
This Melanzane Lasagne is a delicious vegetarian twist on the classic Italian dish, featuring grilled aubergine slices layered with a rich tomato sauce, fresh lasagne sheets, and a blend of Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Perfect for a comforting meal, this recipe can be baked fresh or prepared ahead and cooked from frozen, making it versatile and convenient.
Ingredients
Scale
Aubergine
- 3 aubergines, sliced lengthways
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to season
Tomato Sauce
- 3 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 680ml jar passata
- ½ tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- Small bunch basil leaves, torn
- Salt and pepper, to season
Cheese
- 100g parmesan, or vegetarian alternative, grated
- 125g ball mozzarella, torn
Other
- 200g fresh lasagne sheets
- 5 tbsp breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Grill the Aubergine: Heat the grill to high. Arrange the aubergine slices on a baking sheet, brush both sides with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Grill each side for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and tender, then set aside to cool.
- Prepare the Tomato Sauce: Heat a little olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Fry the crushed garlic for 1 minute until fragrant. Pour in the passata and add dried oregano, sugar, and red wine vinegar. Let the sauce simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then stir in the torn basil leaves just before removing from heat.
- Assemble the Lasagne: In a roughly A4-sized baking dish, spread a few tablespoons of the tomato sauce over the base. Layer a portion of grilled aubergine slices over the sauce. Sprinkle some grated Parmesan and torn mozzarella on top. Cover with a layer of fresh lasagne sheets. Repeat these layers, finishing with the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella on top. Finally, sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the surface.
- Cook the Lasagne: If cooking fresh, preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) or gas mark 6. Bake the lasagne for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbling.
- Cooking from Frozen (Optional): To cook straight from frozen, preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) or gas mark 4. Cover the lasagne and cook for 1½ hours. Then increase the oven temperature to 220°C (200°C fan) or gas mark 7, remove the cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes until golden and bubbling.
Notes
- The lasagne can be assembled ahead of time and frozen. When ready to eat, cook from frozen as instructed to maintain the best texture and flavor.
- For a vegetarian alternative, use vegetarian Parmesan or omit cheese.
- Ensure aubergine slices are grilled until golden to reduce moisture and avoid a soggy lasagne.
- Using fresh lasagne sheets speeds up cooking time and creates a tender texture.
- Sprinkling breadcrumbs on top gives a pleasant crunchy topping.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes (fresh) / 2 hours (from frozen including uncovered time)
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Melanzane lasagne, aubergine lasagne, vegetarian lasagne, Italian vegetarian recipe, baked pasta dish
