Recipe of the day: Jamie Oliver’s scruffy aubergine lasagne

The aubergine, also known as eggplant or brinjal, is actually a berry by botanical definition, but it’s most commonly used as a vegetable to create delicious recipes.

Aubergines are also really healthy, as they are rich in fibre, which helps to control your blood sugar and lowers your risk of heart disease.

So, if you’re trying to eat less meat this year, this quick and easy aubergine recipe is the perfect dish to replace your usual chicken or ground beef lasagne.

With the aromatic flavours and tastes of the sweet tomato sauce with garlic, sage, lemon, cheese and almond crunch, you won’t even notice that the dish doesn’t contain any meat.

Your whole family will love this delicious aubergine recipe.

ALSO SEE: Foil-baked lamb shanks with warm eggplant salad

Ingredients:

• 3 x 400g aubergines
• 3 onions
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 bunch of fresh sage (30g)
• Olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
• 1 lemon
• 2 x 400g tins of quality plum tomatoes
• 80g mature Cheddar cheese
• 80g Parmesan cheese
• 300g fresh lasagne sheets
• 50g blanched almonds

Method:

1. Place a large shallow casserole pan on a medium heat with 250ml of water.
2. Prick the whole aubergines all over with a fork, halve lengthways and place in the pan. Peel, quarter and add the onions, then cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, peel and finely slice the garlic, and pick the sage leaves.
4. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
5. Remove the lid, and once most of the liquid has cooked away, make a well in the middle. Add 3 tablespoons of oil, the garlic, chilli flakes and most of the sage leaves, then finely grate in the lemon zest. Once golden, scrunch in the tomatoes, pour in 2 tins’ worth of water, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Remove the pan from the heat, grate in the cheeses, then season to absolute perfection with sea salt and black pepper.
7. Tear in the pasta sheets and mix up really well to coat and separate, then pull some of the sheets to the top to create a top layer.
8. Bash the almonds until fine and rub the remaining sage leaves with oil, then sprinkle on top.
9. Use the back of a spoon to create some dips and wells, and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.
10. Serve with a big crunchy green salad dressed with balsamic vinegar.

This recipe was found on jamieoliver.com.