Scruffy aubergine lasagne | Jamie Oliver pasta recipes (2024)

FAQs

Can you put aubergine in lasagne Jamie Oliver? ›

Jamie Oliver's Scruffy Aubergine Lasagne recipe is a clever twist on the comfort food classic, topped with melted cheese and a flavourful almond crunch. This satisfying dish makes a great weekend family feast.

Place the aubergine slices in a sturdy ovenproof pan. Brush lightly with oil, then sprinkle over ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and a little sea salt and black pepper. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until softened and charred, adding the spring onions, garlic and cherry tomatoes halfway through.

Hello, Yes, you can freeze this dish for up to 3 months. Although it's more suitable for a family supper than a dinner party when it's been frozen. You can reheat from frozen or defrost overnight in the fridge before heating.

If the eggplant is still a bit raw before layering, it still has water to release, and it will make the lasagna watery. Second, be sure to cook the tomato sauce down for the full 20 minutes. We're letting water evaporate as well as concentrating the flavor of the tomatoes.

Moussaka is to the Greek what Lasagna is to Italians. A rich tomato meat sauce layered with eggplant instead of pasta sheets, and topped with a thick layer of béchamel sauce, this traditional Greek recipe takes time to assemble – but it's well worth the effort! This is serious comfort food – a low carb one at that!

Eggplants are known to absorb a lot of fat while cooking. A useful tip to prevent sogginess and greasiness is to salt sliced or diced eggplant and let it sit for an hour. This helps to draw out moisture.

Salting versus brining

It will, however, help the spongy flesh absorb less oil and crisp up like a dream. To salt, just slice the eggplant into rounds, scatter 1 teaspoon of salt on top, leave for 30 minutes, then pat dry. Brining (soaking in salted water) will do the same job but also make the flesh super creamy.

The best way to layer your lasagna is to start with a layer of red sauce, follow it up with a layer of white sauce, then pasta, then cheese. Follow this pattern until you've filled your tray.

Place your dry noodles in the water, making sure they're all equally submerged, and let them soak for about 20 minutes. Let this go while making your sauce or preheating the oven, and it shaves off all the extra time you'd spend boiling them.

Do you bake lasagna at 350 or 375? ›

Assemble the lasagna in an oven-safe container and store it in the refrigerator. The temperature should be at or below 40 degrees. When you are ready to cook the lasagna, bake it in the oven for approximately 60 minutes at 375 degrees.

Never, ever thaw at room temperature--it's just not safe! You can absolutely cook this from frozen, but be keep it covered in foil and cook it longer than one hour. Keep it covered to ensure the top layer doesn't dry out.

Like most vegetables, aubergine can be fried, grilled, roasted, steamed or even boiled. It's also happily stuffed, or, blitzed – there are SO many ways to make this bulbous vegetable sing. Most commonly, it is fried or roasted, though we've included recipes which see them boiled below (Thai green curry we love you).

Today, eggplants are bred not to have that kind of bitterness," Jenkins explains. She does call out one outlier though. "The only exception is when you deep fry it. I tend to soak the slices in a bowl of water with a couple of tablespoon of salt for about 30-45 minutes.