If the title if this recipe is confusing I apologize. I had no idea what to call these things.
Well, other than “Delicious” that is.
Two summers ago when I was in Italy, I had the pleasure of trying eggplant parmesan for the first time. I had never been a fan of eggplant before trying this dish but oh my god! It tasted JUST like lasagna but even better! I mean its pretty hard to dislike anything when its layered between handpicked Italian tomatoes and fresh buffalo mozzarella but still. I was officially an eggplant convert.
This dish is inspired by that eggplant parmesan I had that summer in Italy but more in form of mini pizzas. These are great for large parties, small gatherings or even a quick lunch for one!
All you need to do is start by grilling some slices of eggplant! (Sorry about that black speck. Is it bugging anyone else as much as its bugging me? I can’t be alone in this.)
My go-to tomato sauce (recipe by Marcella Hazan) Since the ingredients are so minimal for this recipe, homemade sauce is best! You want all the fresh flavours to shine.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes (chopped) OR 2 cups BPA-free canned imported Italian tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
- 4 tbsp grass-fed organic butter
- 1 medium white onion, peeled and cut in half
- Sea salt
- 1 lb organic ground turkey
- 2 large eggplants, sliced lengthwise
- Cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
METHOD
- Add the tomatoes, butter and halved white onion (cut side down) to a large saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 40-45 minutes until thickened into a sauce. Mash / break up the larger pieces of tomato with the back of a wooden spoon throughout cooking.
- In a pan, heat 1 tsp olive oil and add the ground turkey. Cook over medium heat until browned and cooked through. Break the turkey up with a spatula or wooden spoon as it cooks.
- When the sauce is cooked, add the ground turkey in to create a bolognese. Season with salt to taste.
- Brush the sliced eggplant with olive oil and grill until char marks form and they are cooked through. Spoon the bolognese over the slices of eggplant.
- Sprinkle fresh parsley on top and serve!