Eggplant parms with garlicky greens

Eggplant parmigiana is a popular Italian vegetarian dish with a culinary history dating back at least 250 years. The first known reference to this dish appears in the cookbook “Naples, the Way of Cooking” (Napoli, Il Cuoco Galante), by Vincenzo Corrado, circa 1773. With a combination of golden eggplant, basil, garlic, tomato and cheese, it’s easy to see how this Italian classic has withstood the test of time.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 400 g can crushed polpi tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• ¼ cup picked basil leaves
• salt and black pepper
• 2 large globe eggplants
• 250 g grated three cheese blend (including mozzarella and parmesan)

For the garlicky greens 

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 200 g green beans, trimmed and halved on an angle
• 1 bunch broccolini, each stem halved lengthways
• 150 g snap peas, trimmed
• 200 g baby spinach leaves
• salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the tomatoes, garlic, basil and cook, covered for 10 – 15 minutes, until reduced to a thick, rich sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

2. Halve the eggplant lengthways, keeping the stems attached. Use a small, sharp knife to cut a criss-cross pattern into the flesh-side of the eggplant and drizzle generously with olive oil.

3. Preheat the grill to medium-high, then grill the eggplant halves for 3-4 minutes per side, until cooked through and the cut-side is golden and caramelised.

4. Spread the tomato sauce over the flesh side of the eggplants and sprinkle with grated cheese. Grill for 2 – 3 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden.

5. To make the garlicky greens, heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the garlic for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the beans, broccolini and snap peas and cook, tossing, for 2 minutes, then add the baby spinach and cook until just wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. Serve the eggplant parms with the garlicky greens.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

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