Scruffy aubergine lasagne
Sweet tomato sauce with garlic, sage & lemon, cheese & almond crunch
Bringing together two big hitters – aubergine and lasagne –
this recipe is guaranteed to make you smile. It’s cheesy, oozy and mega delicious,
plus it’s really fun to make. First, I steam the aubergine, to make it soft, silky and a
total pleasure to eat, then I crisp it up with garlic, chilli, sage and lemon for added flavour,
before turning it into the most scrumptious sauce. Enjoy!
Serves: 6 Prep.: 1 hour 35 minutes Difficulty: Not too tricky
Calories: 463 Fat: 22.9g Saturates: 7.5g Sugars: 16.3g Salt: 0.6g Protein: 20.1g Carbs: 48.4g Fibre: 5.7g
INGREDIENTS
| 3 (400g each) | large aubergines |
|---|---|
| 3 | Onions |
| 6 cloves | garlic |
| 1 bunch | fresh sage (30g) |
| olive oil | |
| 1 teaspoon | dried chilli flakes |
| 1 | lemon |
| 2 x 400 g | tins of quality plum tomatoes |
| 80 g | mature Cheddar cheese |
| 80 g | Parmesan cheese |
| 300 g | fresh lasagne sheets |
| 50 g | almonds |
INSTRUCTION
- Place a large shallow casserole pan on a medium heat with 250ml of water.
- 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.
- Meanwhile, peel and finely slice the garlic, and pick the sage leaves.
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6.
- Remove the lid, and once most of the liquid has cooked away, make a well i n 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.
- Remove the pan from the heat, grate in the cheeses, then season to absolute perfection with sea salt and black pepper.
- 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.
- Bash the almonds until fine and rub the remaining sage leaves with oil, then sprinkle on top.
- Use the back of a spoon to create some dips and wells, and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. I love this served with a big crunchy green salad dressed with balsamic vinegar.