I came up with these super comforting ragù stuffed aubergines by chance one day when trying to use up leftover ragù. And the result was stunning! So much so that we made them again for lunch the next day. If you’re a fan of parmigiana, lasagna or moussaka, you’ll feel right at home tucking into this dish.
NOTE: This is a recipe for leftover ragù. Whatever you have will do, but I'd recommend one that's heavy on the meat and light on the tomatoes. Ragù alla Ferrarese is my personal favourite.
Step 1
Start heating your oven to 200°C. While it's warming up, cut your aubergines in half. You can leave the stems on, or cut them off, at your discretion.
Step 2
Using a small, sharp knife, roughly trace a border around the edges of the aubergines (just under half an inch thick). Score the flesh within that border to make it easier to scoop out and speed up the dicing process. Then scoop out the scored flesh with a metal spoon.
Step 3
At this point, you have two options depending on how much time you have and how soft you like your aubergine:
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Sprinkle salt on your aubergine shells and put them to the side.
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Garnish your aubergine shells with olive oil, salt and pepper, and put them in the oven for 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.
Step 4
With your aubergine shells either cooking or resting, dice up the aubergine flesh, and cook in a small pan for 4-5 minutes with some oil, salt, pepper, garlic granules, and a little oregano.
Soon enough, your aubergines (if you put them in the oven) will be ready to come out. Don't forget about them!
Step 5
Once the diced aubergine has softened, add your ragù to the pan and keep the heat on low for 2 minutes while you stir it through and combine it with the aubergine.
Step 6
Now for the fun part. Scoop the aubergine and ragù mixture into your aubergine shells. Then pour on enough passata (around 3 tablespoons per aubergine half) to cover the filling.
Slice your ball of mozzarella into fairly thick rounds and layer it on top of the passata.
Step 7
Drizzle with olive oil - paying extra attention to any exposed aubergine if your aubergine halves were not pre-cooked - and crack on some black pepper.
Step 8
Pop your aubergine halves into a small lasagna dish or baking dish with high sides, and cook uncovered for approximately 25 minutes.
Step 9
Carefully move your stuffed aubergine to a plate to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. And you're done! Enjoy your ragù stuffed aubergine on its own or with a simple salad.
- You can absolutely use fresh garlic instead of garlic granules if you don't have any garlic granules to hand.
- If you're a fan of chunky aubergine, opt to not pre-cook the shells; if you like your aubergine to melt in the mouth and release more juices, definitely pre-cook it!
- If the ragù you're using is quite tomato-heavy, you can always skip the passata.
- I think basil would go nicely in this dish. Tear up and sprinkle some fresh basil leaves with your mozzarella to make your ragù stuffed aubergines even more reminiscent of parmigiana!
