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.

Eggplant won't absorb as much liquid as traditional lasagna noodles do (especially the no-boil noodles that I love), so sometimes eggplant lasagna will turn out a little more watery than a regular version. You can make the eggplant less soggy with these tips: Roast the eggplant first.

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.

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.

You might know them as eggplants or you might know them as aubergines, but they are exactly the same plant. The English prefer the latter name, while in North America we use the former.

An aubergine is a plant that grows large, dark purple fruits. If you live in North America, you probably call aubergines "eggplants."

Too much between one layer and another will keep you from ever getting a perfect slice. Too little and all you'll taste is pasta. Do not put large pieces of vegetables or meat in lasagna for the same reason as above. To get a perfect lasagna, the filling should be finely sliced or even creamy.

Put a fifth of your Bolognese sauce into the bottom of a deep ovenproof dish (35cm x 25cm), smoothing it out into the corners. Dollop a fifth of your white sauce over the Bolognese and swirl it in, then cover with an even layer of pasta sheets. Repeat the layering until all the lasagne sheets and sauces are used up.

Begin Layering

After the initial sauce layer, add a layer of pasta sheets, ricotta mixture (or bechamel), sauce, and cheese. Then repeat the layers. Top the last layer of your lasagna with sauce and cheese. You can also alternate layers of sauce and ricotta cheese.

Do you put pasta first in lasagna? ›

Start by spreading a layer of your tomato-based sauce (either a plain tomato sauce or your pre-made ragù) on the bottom of your dish. Next, add a single layer of pasta sheets. Then, add a layer of white sauce, followed by another single layer of pasta sheets.

What is the best way to cook aubergines? You can grill, fry, griddle, barbecue and bake aubergines as well as adding them to curries and casseroles. Famous dishes include ratatouille, caponata, moussaka, parmigiana, miso aubergine and imam bayildi.

Before hitting the stovetop, give cubed and sliced eggplant pieces a spin in the microwave. Pre-cooking the eggplant (in a single layer, on a paper towel-lined plate) for about five minutes helps collapse the spongey structure, which will prevent it from absorbing quite so much oil.

If the skin is in good shape, it is edible, though some varieties have skin that is too tough to eat. Peel the skin with a vegetable peeler if you think it's wise – younger aubergine skin is fine to eat, but older, more ripened aubergine skin has a bitter taste. Cut off the stem and base, too.

My favourite seasonings include ginger, garlic, lemon, salt, pepper, oregano, Italian herbs, paprika or soy sauce. If you have a favourite, give it a try! Score eggplant slices with a knife, making shallow indents before adding the seasoning.