This is another meal I cooked for my keto diet. Eggplant parmigiana was my inspiration however I added layers of extra vegetables to make a more complete meal. It’s a great dish if you want to use up the vegetables in your fridge. I used eggplant, mushroom, spinach and Parmesan because that is what I happened to have but you can use pretty much anything. This bake is a no pasta lasagna of sorts best served with a fresh rocket salad.
Veggie Bake
Course: Lunch / DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: BeginnerServings
4
servingsPrep time
40
minutesCooking time
30
minutesCalories per serve
200
kcalIngredients
2 Eggplant
250g Button mushroom
250g Baby spinach
2 Cans tined Italian tomatoes
1 TSP Smoked paprika
20g Salt
1 clove Garlic
125 mls Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Directions
- Peel eggplants (optional) Thinly slice length ways. Place into a bowl and add 18 grams of salt toss well as to coat all the eggplant slices in salt. Then place in a strainer for 30 mins to allow the bitter juice to drain I find this step is very important especially if using mature large eggplants. This step may be skipped if using young small eggplants or if you are reducing sodium from your diet.
- Throughly wash the eggplants in cold running water, be sure to wash off the salt with a lot of water otherwise the eggplants will taste really salty. Pat dry with paper towel. Lightly oil the eggplant, either brush on the olive oil or spray it on both sides. Lay them flat on a lined baking tray and bake until lightly golden.
- While Eggplants are salting make the tomato sauce. Into a saucepan add 1 TBS EV olive oil and 1 clove chopped garlic, on a very low heat gently infuse the garlic into the oil until light golden. Then add 1 TSP smoked paprika let it in infuse into the oil for 30 seconds, then add 2 cans of Italian tomatoes and 1 gram of salt. Cook on a low heat until reduced by one third. you want this sauce to be thick, not watery. Puree in a blender (optional)
- Chop button mushrooms and sautee in a frying pan
- Grate 100g Grana Padano parmesan
- Line a baking dish and now layer up the bake like a lasagne. Tomato sauce, eggplant, tomato sauce, mushroom, parmesan, baby spinach. Repeat the layering. Bake at 180c for 30 minutes
