Description

This eggplant and tomato gratin is a Mediterranean delight that is easy to prepare and tastes wonderful. The combination of juicy eggplants, aromatic tomatoes and creamy mozzarella makes it a perfect dish for warm summer days. I love how the flavors combine when baked in the oven. It's a great vegetarian main course that also goes well as a side dish with grilled food. The preparation is straightforward and the result is a real treat. A dash of fresh basil rounds off the dish perfectly. Ideal for a relaxed lunch or a light dinner with friends.

Ingredients (8 ingredients)

1 piece Onion

5 tbsp Olive oil

2 piece Eggplants

5 piece Tomatoes

to taste Salt

to taste Pepper

1 Kugel Mozzarella

1 Zweig Basil

Preparation (7 steps)

Chop onion

Thermomix® Setting

3 sec/Speed 5

Peel, quarter and place the onion in the mixing bowl. Chop for 3 seconds/speed 5.

Sauté onion

Thermomix® Setting

3 min/248°F/Speed 1 120

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the onions in the mixing bowl and sauté for 3 minutes/120°C/speed 1.

180

Prepare eggplants and tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 175 °C circulating air. Distribute the diced onion with oil on the bottom of a round casserole dish. Wash and clean the eggplants. Cut into approx. 0.5 cm thick slices. Wash the tomatoes and remove the green stem. Also cut into 0.5-1 cm thick slices.

Layer and season vegetables

Layer tomato and eggplant slices upright in the casserole dish. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Gratinate

Place the casserole dish in the preheated oven and bake for approx. 1 hour.

Add mozzarella

Tear the mozzarella. Remove the casserole dish from the oven and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake for another 15 minutes at the same temperature until the cheese has melted and is lightly browned.

Serve

Wash the basil and cut the leaves into strips. Remove the casserole, sprinkle with basil and serve warm.

Finished cooking? Great! 🎉

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About this recipe

For me, this eggplant and tomato gratin is a piece of vacation memory. I first ate it in a small restaurant in Provence, where the eggplants and tomatoes came straight from the garden and carried the sun within them. Since then, it has been a permanent part of my summer cuisine. It is a dish that combines the simplicity and richness of Mediterranean flavors. The eggplants are the basis here. They should be firm and shiny, without brown spots. Their slightly bitter note provides a wonderful contrast to the sweetness of the tomatoes. The tomatoes themselves should be ripe and juicy, preferably aromatic varieties such as Oxheart or San Marzano. They bring the acidity and freshness to the dish. The mozzarella provides the creaminess and the mild, slightly salty taste that holds everything together. And the basil, fresh and fragrant, is the icing on the cake, giving the gratin an extra dimension. The preparation with the Thermomix® is very easy. Chopping the onion is lightning fast and even, which is important for a good result. When sautéing the onions in the Thermomix®, I make sure that the temperature is not too high so that they do not burn. 120°C is ideal. Layering the eggplant and tomato slices in the baking dish is almost meditative. Make sure they are close together so they don't collapse too much when baking. Drizzling with olive oil is important so that the vegetables do not dry out and remain nice and juicy. For a vegan version, the mozzarella can be replaced with a vegan cheese alternative. Nutritional yeast, mixed with breadcrumbs and herbs, can also form a delicious crust. There are no limits to the imagination when it comes to spices. Garlic, oregano, thyme or rosemary go perfectly with this dish. A touch of chili adds a pleasant spiciness. The eggplant and tomato gratin is a wonderful vegetarian main course, but it also goes perfectly as a side dish with grilled food, fish or poultry. Serve with a fresh baguette and a glass of chilled rosé – perfect! Leftovers of the gratin can easily be stored in the refrigerator and reheated the next day. It also tastes very good cold, for example as a topping for a sandwich or as part of an antipasti platter. The gratin can also be prepared well in advance. The baking dish can be layered the day before and stored in the refrigerator. Before baking, simply drizzle with olive oil and season.