Soslu Patlican | Aubergine & Tomato Bake

Believe it or not aubergines are actually a fruit! I know right who would even want to eat it raw?! It is a great superfood as it is full of a large array of vitamins and minerals and goes well with a large variety of vegetables, whether you bake, fry or broil it. It’s subtle taste makes it versatile for all sorts of different recipes. 

I LOVE AUBERGINES

My favourite way to cook aubergines is to bake it in a tomato based sauce. When I was younger my mum would bake it with other vegetables like courgettes and potatoes and add onions to create a mega Turkish style vegetable bake. This recipe was inspired by those tastes!

I have kept the ingredients healthy and satisfying so that it is easy to cook and enjoy, using the flavours of oregano and mozzarella it also gives this dish a very Mediterranean feel, perfect for those warm summer night meals that are light and enjoyable.

TURKISH FOOD INSPIRED RECIPES

This year I will be sharing a lot more Turkish inspired food recipes on Beauty Baking Bella and if you haven’t already seen, I have already shared one of my favourite Turkish dishes Lahmacun – Turkish Pizza recipe that is great for the whole family to enjoy.

In this recipe, I have included courgettes as I try and get as many vegetables into my families tummies and courgettes are another great vegetable as they are full of vitamins whilst also subtle and easy to eat, like the aubergine. If you wanted to add potatoes or other vegetables then use the same method of preparation as with the veg before arranging it all together to bake.

This is a great recipe for your Meat-Free Mondays and is also Gluten-Free, this dish is also freezer friendly so any leftovers you can freeze or cover and put it in the fridge for lunch the next day.

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Soslu Patlican - Aubergine & Tomato Bake

The perfect aubergine dish, perfect as a main or a side dish to a roast dinner..

Course Main Course

Cuisine Turkish

Keyword Aubergine

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• Olive Oil
• 3 Large Aubergines, cut into 1cm thick slices
• 1 Large Courgette, cut into 1cm thick slices
• 400 g Tinned Chopped Tomatoes
• 1 Garlic clove, chopped
• 1 tsp Tomato Purée
• 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
• Ground Pink Himalayan Salt & Ground Black Pepper, to taste
• 2 Mozzarella Balls, sliced
• 100 g Cheddar Cheese, grated
• 50 g Parmesan, grated
• Handful of freshly chopped Parsley

Instructions

1. Preheat fan oven to 200 degrees

2. Line a couple of baking trays with greaseproof parchment paper

3. Place the aubergines and the courgettes onto the tray and using a pastry brush light cover with olive oil and a little salt

4. Bake for around 10-12 minutes until the the veg is soft, you may have to do this in a couple of batches

5. Meanwhile, in a blender add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and blend until smooth
   

6. In a lasagne dish lightly drizzle a little olive oil, this will help the base bake through

7. Add a layer of aubergines and and cover with half of the tomato sauce and drizzle some more olive oil

8. Add half the cheddar cheese and parmesan even to cover

9. Continue with the next layer with courgettes and the remaining aubergines, lightly drizzle some more olive oil

10. Pour over the rest of the sauce and the remaining cheddar cheese

11. Place over the mozzarella slices and bake in the oven for around 20-25 minutes until the cheese has started to brown and the aubergines are soft and tender

12. Leave to rest for a few minutes before garnishing with the chopped parsley and it’s ready to serve

13. Enjoy with fresh bread, garlic bread or gluten free alternatives or serve as a side to meat dishes

I hope you enjoy this recipe and like always let me know if you try it by sending me a photo.

Pinar xo