Aubergine and Ratatouille layered bake

One of my favourite meals when we go out for dinner is melanzane alla parmigiana, it’s an Italian dish made from slices of aubergine baked in a rich tomato sauce topped with Parmesan. The only thing is that I always feel the need to get a side of veg, salad or sometimes potatoes because I like a bit more variety and substance.

This recipe came about because I decided to create an aubergine parmigiana styled bake but with a bit more substance and plenty of variety in flavour. I decided to mix in one of my other favourite recipes, ratatouille! The layers of grilled aubergines go perfectly with the soft peppers and I think it makes a delicious low carb alternative to lasagna! Maybe it’s just me but even with this recipe I still need something green on the side! I’d recommend serving with spinach or some griddled asparagus.

Bright and vibrant peppers

The preparation of melanzane alla parmigiana varies from place to place, some grill the aubergine and some deep fry it. I decided to grill it however you can prepare it however you like. Just make sure it is really soft and juicy. A lot of methods call for the aubergine to be salted before cooking, I find that grilling then baking is sufficient to get the aubergine to a suitable level of softness!

Low carb alternative to lasagna!

Serves 6

Vegan, wheat and gluten free, dairy free

2 aubergines
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
3 mixed peppers (red, yellow and green!)
1 courgette
2 cans chopped tomatoes
Handful black olives – sliced
Coriander
1 can cooked butter beans
1 cup water

Slice the aubergines thinly (around 1cm thick) and grill or griddle the slices for a minute and a half on each side so they are slightly browned and softened. No need to add oil if you are grilling them but a small amount could be added if using a griddle pan to stop them sticking. Once cooked put to one side.

Thinly slice the onion, courgette and peppers. In a large deep frying pan heat a little oil and add the sliced vegetables and crush the garlic into the pan. Stir fry for 5 minutes until the vegetables are softened. Then add the cans of chopped tomatoes, black olives, some salt and pepper and stir. Put a lid on the pan (or cover with foil) and simmer on a low heat for 15 minutes until the veg is soft and the sauce is reduced and thick. If it looks too thick then add a splash of water.

In a blender mix the beans and water. You can add herbs, garlic and seasoning or just keep it simple!

Preheat the oven to 180c

In a baking/ lasagna dish layer up the ratatouille, slices of aubergine and bean sauce. Make sure the last layer is the bean sauce. Put the bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until it is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown.

I love aubergines!

Ratatouille Calzone: Meat Free Monday

I Love making Calzone, you can fill it full of any veggies you like and it always turns out lovely and juicy in the middle! I also love ratatouille as it’s so fresh and vibrant and very healthy so I thought it would be a great idea to combine the two! Don’t be put off by making your own pizza dough, out of all the baking recipes I think pizza dough is the easiest. Plus it means you can see exactly what has gone into it and you can roll it out to the thickness you prefer- for me it’s always thin and crusty! My husband isn’t a massive fan of lots of vegetables but he enjoyed this recipe so that’s the ultimate test for me!

Makes 2 Calzones (This would serve us one each but if you’re more reserved you could have half each to serve 4)

280g Strong Bread Flour
2 teaspoon Easy Blend Yeast
1 pinch of Salt
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
150ml Water

1 Red Pepper
1/2 Yellow Pepper
1 Courgette (smallish sized)
1/2 Onion
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 Garlic cloves
1 teaspoon Dried Basil
Fresh Basil
Salt and Pepper
50g Cheddar Cheese
50g Parmesan Cheese

To make your pizza dough – Sift the flour into a large bowl with the yeast and the salt. Make a well in the middle and add the oil and water then stir using a wooden spoon untill it has formed a dough (to stir you start mixing the flour from the middle of the bowl with the water and oil and slowly incorporate the rest of the flour working outwards untill all the flour is combined. I find once it is mixed it’s good to get your hands in there and mix it with your hands for the last bit. Don’t be afraid if you think there isn’t enough water, as you mix it all it will come together – you can always add more water 1 tablespoon at a time if you feel you need it but don’t add too much!)

Knead the dough on a floured surface for 5 minutes then shape it into a ball and coat lightly with oil, put it in a bowl, cover it with cling film and leave it somewhere warm to rise (around 1 hour or untill doubled in size).

To make the sauce pour the chopped tomatoes in a sauce pan and add the crushed garlic and dried basil. Cook this over a medium heat untill the tomatoes have reduced down a bit and become thicker. This will take around 10 minutes. Season and put to one side.

Slice your peppers, onion and courgette finely and put to one side ready to use when the dough has risen.

Preheat the oven to 200c.

Once your pizza dough is ready, cut it in half and roll out each half into a circle on a floured surface (to stop it sticking). Don’t roll it out too thin as it will break when you try to fold it. Around 5mm thick is fine.

Place the rolled out circles of dough onto a pizza try (or baking tray) and spread the tomato sauce all over each circle. Then layer the onion, courgette and peppers just on one side, season with a little black pepper and salt if you want. You can layer it up so you use up all the veg you have chopped. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the vegetables and finally top with a few fresh basil leaves.

Fold the side with no vegetables over to encase the filling and seal the edges. Do the same with the second calzone.

Make sure you assemble the pizzas on the tray as if you assemble them on the side they will be too heavy to lift (I made this mistake my first attempt!)

Put the calzones in the oven for 20-25minutes untill golden brown and crispy on the top and the bottom! They will be easy to lift and cut up now too.

Serve with Salad.

Photo of my uncooked calzones – I fit them both on one pizza tray by making and folding one on the tray and then doing the other one next to it