What a humble and versatile veggie is the brinjal or eggplant is! Oh no! actually a fruit it is, that can make numerous preparations. Though this has been the most underrated as well as hated vegetable especially by the children but what if we cook it in a different way to feed them. I have tried to cook it in an interesting way so that kids could never say NO to this veggie as their favourite pasta is a part of this preparation
This baked eggplant dish is quite similar to an Italian preparation of the baked aubergine with parmesan. I have replaced parmesan with mozzarella cheese. This dish is set in layers in a baking dish and then baked to be eaten as a starter too. This dish has the potential to become favourites of the party menus. Homemade tomato sauce with some dried and fresh herbs adds the flavour. Lasagna sheets are ideal for this dish but any other pasta can be replaced with it. I too have cooked this dish with macaroni pasta as this is the most favourite among the kids
Course – Side Dish/ Starter/ Appetizer
Cuisine – world
Prep Time – 10 Min
Cook Time – 30 Min
Total Time 40 Min
Yield – 4 Servings
Author – Bharti Dhawan
Ingredients
Brinjal/eggplant/aubergine -1 cut into thin round slices of equal thickness
Boiled pasta (any type)- 2 cups (I used macaroni)
Mozzarella cheese grated – 1 cup
Ingredients for tomato sauce
Tomato finely chopped – 1 cup
Onion finely chopped – 1 big
Garlic – 4-5 cloves
Salt, pepper, – taste-wise
dried and fresh herbs like basil – A few
Sugar – 1tea spoon
Oil -Olive or any other – 2 tablespoon
Instructions For sauce
1- Cook garlic and Onion in oil
2- Add chopped tomato, salt, mixed herbs and sugar
3- Cook until sauce-like consistency and set aside
Instruction For Grilling Eggplant
1- Pan fry brinjal slices with little oil until they get the golden brown marks
Instruction For pasta
1- Boil pasta with 3 times more water and 1 tsp salt
2- When boiled drain the water and rinse with cold water in the colander. Keep aside to use later
Now assembling time -:
Take a baking dish
1- In the baking dish spread the 1st layer of tomato sauce
2- Then the 2nd layer of grilled brinjal sheets. After that the 3rd layer of tomato sauce and the
3- 4th layer of boiled pasta and then last layer of grated cheese.
4- Repeat the same process for other layers
For the top decorations:
1- Fill 1 slice of brinjal with cheese and tomato sauce and make a roll. Place it on the top of the prepared dish
2- Bake this assembled dish in a preheated oven at 180 deg. for 10 minutes
Note-: this dish can also be made in skillet or pan by layering in the same way
