Last night I was hankering for something Italian that involved eggplant (aka “aubergine” here in the UK). Eggplant parmesan was the obvious choice, but I did not feel inclined towards the effort nor the calorie bomb that such a dish requires. Still, it obviously inspired me.
It’s simple: layer eggplant, zucchini, crumbled tofu, sliced tomato and tomato sauce in a pan. Top with more crumbled tofu. Bake.
This random creation was just as satisfying as eggplant parmesan. And, more importantly, “delicious” according to Tim, who tends to shorten the length of his praises the more he enjoys something.
For my next trick, vegan moussaka?
Italian Aubergine and Courgette with Tofu
I have a hunch this would be delicious with almost any kind of veggie, though spinach and mushroom particularly come to mind. Next time I might try all eggplant. Serves 2.
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant, sliced 3mm-thick lengthwise
- 1 zucchini, sliced 3mm-thick lengthwise
- 1 tomato, sliced 3mm-thick rounds
- 200g tofu
- 1 tsp Italian herbs
- 3-4 cups tomato sauce
- salt and pepper
Method
- If you think of it, freeze and thaw the tofu before making this dish, squeezing out all excess water – this will give the texture of a breadcrumb-like texture.
- Brush both sides of the eggplant and zucchini lightly with olive oil, then grill on high heat for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until soft (you could also bake them instead, or skip this step altogether and bake for longer at the end, but I think the grilling gives the veg a nice flavor).
- Crumble the tofu in a bowl and mix with the italian herbs, salt and pepper.
- In a small baking dish, add a bit of tomato sauce. Then layer the veggies, tofu and remaining tomato sauce. This is how I did it, but you may want to adjust depend on how it fills out your pan: tomato sauce, eggplant, tofu, tomato sauce, zucchini, tofu, tomato, eggplant, tomato sauce, tofu. End with a layer of tomato sauce and tofu on top.
- Baked at 350 F / 180 C for about 30 minutes, until the tofu has browned a bit and everything is all bubbly and delicious.
I'm really digging the tofu-eggplant-zucchini idea! It's the perfect gluten-less lasagna. It also seems warm & quick, two of my must-haves this winter.