Cheesy Aubergines sounds amazing, doesn’t it? Since I’ve tried this dish for the first time, I’ve made it again and again with all sort of variations. I’m going to talk about those as well. Firstly, the dish is very simple. It can be a great starter or it works just as well as a side dish, with a bit of mash potatoes or chips on a side. Also, I’ve made this dish with the “standard” aubergines you find in the supermarket, but also with these long Turkish aubergines I photographed for this post and with very small aubergines. Those baby aubergines (with a hefty price tag) are the most difficult to make, as the slits in the veggies are small and it is quite hard to insert the cheese in them. So, I would suggest buying the bigger aubergines as those are easier to work with and, of course, you can save some money.

I made cheesy aubergines with both vegan cheese and dairy cheese. The dish is made in exactly the same way. For me, the vegan cheese is so much better when baked, as it keeps its shape better. I do prefer it for this dish and other dishes like pizza. If you are vegan, then is not a question of what kind of cheese you are going to use, but if you are not vegan, I would suggest buying some vegan cheese and try it with these cheesy aubergines. You might discover you like it just as such as I do.

You only need a handful of ingredients for this dish. I would suggest using just a bit of salt, keeping in mind that you are going to add the cheese as well.

Ingredients for Cheesy Aubergines, 2 servings:

– 4 long aubergines
– oil spray
– salt
– white pepper
– 40g vegan cheddar-style cheese
– 25g vegan mozzarella-style cheese

Preheat the oven at 200C or 180C for fan ovens.

Start by washing and slicing the aubergines like you would for saddle back potatoes, not all the way through the vegetable. Spray oil on the aubergine, trying to get a bit of oil in between the slices. Sprinkle salt on top and put the aubergines in a non-stick baking pan.

Put the aubergines in the oven and bake them for 30 minutes.

After those 30 minutes, take the aubergines out of the oven. Now reduce the heat to 160C or 140C for fan ovens. Insert the cheese in between the slices of the aubergines. You can use a spoon to open the slices. When you’ve added all the cheese, put the baking tray back into the oven. Leave it to bake for another 8 to 10 minutes.

Serve the cheesy aubergines while they are hot.