Light aubergine parmigiana, the quick and easy recipe

Who said you have to give up a dish just because of its calories? Better to revisit it as we did with the light parmigiana.

Among the recipes with aubergines there is one that everyone can agree on, that of parmigiana. Those layers of fried aubergines alternating with tomato sauce and mozzarella are truly irresistible but when you need to keep an eye on calories the question is completely different. This is where light parmigiana comes into play, a tasty second course but much lighter than the traditional one.

To prepare the non-fried aubergine parmigiana we first grilled the aubergines , so that they were still tasty. We then made the classic layers with tomato, mozzarella and parmesan and baked it all. The result is a light aubergine parmigiana that invites you to eat the shoe. Curious to find out how we prepared it?

How to prepare aubergines with light parmigiana

1. First wash the aubergines and remove the ends. Then cut them into slices half a centimeter thick and place them in a colander, adding a little coarse salt to each layer. Let it purge for 30 minutes, preferably an hour, in order to remove the bitterness and excess vegetation water.
2. Then rinse them under running water, dry them with kitchen paper and grill them on a hot grill for about 2 minutes per side, just long enough for the characteristic lines to form. As they are ready, place them on a plate and season them with a pinch of salt.
3. Drain the mozzarella from the preserving liquid, cut it into half-centimeter slices and place it to drain on a couple of sheets of kitchen paper. This step is important so as not to ruin the finished dish due to excessive humidity. Alternatively you can use diced provola, which is drier.
4. Get a baking dish suitable for cooking in the oven and spread a thin layer of tomato puree on the bottom. Cover with a first layer of aubergines then start alternating the ingredients : tomato puree, a pinch of salt, a few basil leaves, a sprinkling of parmesan and finally the sliced ​​mozzarella. In total we recommend proceeding with 3-4 layers of aubergines . Simply cover the last one with tomato sauce, basil and parmesan.
5. Cook the light parmigiana in the oven at 180°C for 35 minutes then let it cool for about ten minutes before serving.

If you want, you can also cook the aubergines in the oven . In this case, after letting them drain, always pat them dry with kitchen paper and spread them out on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Cook at 200°C for 20-25 minutes then use them as per the recipe.

Here is a short video where you can see all the steps but above all admire the final consistency which has nothing to envy of the classic recipe.

Similar in ingredients but perfect if you have guests, the aubergine pie is ideal to prepare directly in single portions. Also in this case the aubergines are grilled, so it is also perfect for those who pay particular attention to their figure.

Conservation

Light parmigiana can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in an airtight container. You can heat it in a pan, in the oven or in the microwave. It is also possible to freeze it , already portioned, so as to always have it available.

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