Eggplant & Béchamel Conchiglioni
Recipe for my eggplant stuffed conchiglioni (large pasta shells) baked with béchamel, tomato sauce & Parmesan. This is like a vegetarian lasagne minus the lasagne sheets. That is amore.
Ingredients
- 250g conchiglioni (large pasta shells - sold at Coles)
- 100g Parmesan, finely grated
For the tomato sauce:
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ bunch basil, leaves picked
- 6 cloves garlic, finely sliced
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 x 400g tins whole tomatoes
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt flakes
For the eggplant stuffing:
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- ½ bunch oregano, leaves picked
- 1 eggplant, finely diced
- 100g baby spinach, chopped
For the béchamel sauce:
- 60g unsalted butter
- 60g flour
- 600ml whole milk
- Pinch finely grated nutmeg
- 50g Parmesan, finely grated
Serves 4
Method
Prepare your tomato sauce:
- Heat olive oil over low heat in a large pan.
- Add garlic and 5 large basil leaves and slowly simmer until garlic is very lightly golden (around 10 minutes).
- Remove garlic and basil from oil, reserve.
- Add onions to oil and sweat, still on low heat, until translucent (around 5 minutes).
- Add tinned tomatoes, sugar, chilli flakes (optional), salt, a few fresh basil leaves, and the garlic and basil from earlier.
- Cook on low for 45 minutes - 1 hour, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon. It’s ready when the sauce has thickened, and tomatoes have broken down into the sauce.
Prepare your eggplant stuffing:
- Heat olive oil over low heat in a large pan.
- Add onions and oregano to oil and sweat, until onions are translucent (around 5 minutes).
- Add finely diced eggplant and sauté, stirring, until soft (5-10 minutes).
- Turn off the heat and stir through baby spinach.
Prepare béchamel sauce:
- In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat, then whisk in the flour and cook a little until it is a sandy colour and smells biscuity.
- Slowly add milk, whisking vigorously to ensure the sauce is smooth.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for around 5 more minutes, stirring throughout, until the sauce has thickened.
- Stir through nutmeg and Parmesan, and season to taste.
- Roughly incorporate half of béchamel sauce and eggplant stuffing.
- Cover remaining sauce with a lid to prevent a skin forming.
For the pasta and assembly:
- Preheat oven to 185°c.
- Cook pasta in salty water until very al dente (minus about 3 minutes from the packet instructions cooking time).
- Spoon a thick layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of an ovenproof dish.
- Spoon eggplant stuffing into each conchiglioni shell, then layer on top of tomato sauce.
- Cover with more tomato sauce, then béchamel sauce, then top with Parmesan.
- Cook in oven for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the Parmesan is golden.
- Serve topped with fresh basil.