Today, I'd like to share with you a recipe for Parmigiana of zucchini, eggplant and tofu. A personal version of the traditional eggplant Parmesan gratin, an emblematic recipe of Italian summer cuisine.
The origins of the recipe are still debateParma? Naples ? Sicily? I'll leave it to the experts to decide. In any case, this is not a traditional recipe, but a revisited version.
Parmigiana of zucchini, eggplant and tofu, a traditional recipe revisited.
The first difference with the original recipe is the use of zucchini. Normally, a "parmigiana" is made only with eggplant. But as luck would have it, I had both zucchini and eggplant in my fridge. So I used both, which go very well together.
If you have only zucchinis or only eggplants, using just one of them will work just as well.
The addition of tofu is also a liberty I've taken in order to get more protein and a new texture. If tofu isn't your thing, you can choose to leave it out.
You'll be surprised, however, by the tofu, which soaks up a little of the tomato sauce and still tastes good, without the need for a complicated marinade or preparation to give it a bit of flavor.
A variation with "fried" eggplants
A heavier, greasier variant of this recipe is to fry your vegetables.
The "lighter" version is to fry slices of eggplant or zucchini in oil and add them to the gratin. This gives them a slightly crunchy texture, but the crunch will disappear a little as they cook in the sauce.
A less light version is to make them like eggplant fritters - when I have a bit of time, I do something similar. To do this, you need to prepare a breading (based on egg and flour or water and breading). All that's left is to cook it in oil. This recipe could stand on its own if you're looking for an easy eggplant-based starter.
But in the end, this recipe, in which the vegetables are simply roasted in the oven with a little oil, is still healthier.
Get cooking!
Zucchini, eggplant and tofu parmigiana
- Total Time: 1h30
- Yield: 6-8 people 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A zucchini, eggplant and tofu parmigiana. A good Italian-inspired vegetarian recipe.
Ingredients
Tomato sauce
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil
- 1 796 ml can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoon dried oregano
Gratin
- 3 zucchinis
- 1 small eggplant
- 450gr extra-firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5-10 gr of salt
- Pepper
- 200 gr grated mozzarella cheese
- 70 gr grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Tomato sauce
- In a saucepan over medium heat, soften the onion and garlic in the oil.
- Add the diced tomatoes, basil and oregano.
- Blend.
- Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Gratin
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
- Cut eggplant, zucchini and tofu into ribbons about 5mm thick.
- Pour a little olive oil, salt and pepper into a large bowl, add the eggplants and zucchinis and mix with your hands.
- Arrange zucchini and eggplant on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until zucchini and eggplant are tender.
- Make a reservation.
- In a 28 x 20 cm baking dish, spread a layer of sauce to cover the dish.
- Sprinkle with zucchini, to cover the entire dish. Sprinkle with a tablespoon or two of cheese. Add 2-3 tablespoons of tomato sauce and spread as evenly as possible.
- Do the same with the eggplant.
- Do the same with the tofu.
- Repeat previous operations (8-9-10) until you run out of zucchinis, eggplants and tofu.
- Finish by pouring the remaining tomato sauce over the top, followed by the remaining cheese. Ideally, you want enough cheese to cover the whole thing so that it can gratinate.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is golden.
- Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
- Taste for yourself.
Notes
I'm using eggplant and zucchini here. But if you have lots of eggplant or zucchini, you can use just one of the two.
Tofu is optional, and a zucchini-only or eggplant-only parmigiana works well.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Main course
- Cuisine: Italian
English 
French
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