With all of the storms and cold wet weather in the last few weeks, I’ve wanted to work on a cosy comforting bake-style recipe for myself and you guys. This spiced chickpea and aubergine bake turned out really well, and its topped with one of my favourite cheeses – feta! I can’t wait to see you all try it!

Recipe (Serves 5)

Ingredients

For the Sauce

• 1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil, for cooking
• 1 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 2 tbsp balsalmic vinegar
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon, coriander, turmeric and cumin
• 1/4 tsp mild chili powder
• 1 red onion
• 1 aubergine
• 1 bell peppers, de-seeded and core removed
• 1 courgette
• 3 big handfuls of spinach leaves, washed
• 1 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinse
• 1 400ml tins of chopped tomatoes
• 300ml of water or vegetable stock
• 150g of feta, crumbled

Method 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C (fan oven). Line a baking tray or roasting tin with tinfoil.
2. Slice the aubergines into 1/2 inch thick circular rounds, and place onto the baking trays. Drizzle a little oil on top, and sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over them.
3. Dice the garlic clove, and chop up the rest of your veggies – red onion, peppers, carrot and courgette. This is a VEGGIE-PACKED dish guys, so once that prep bit is done, that’s most of the work! Set the veggies aside except for the red onion.
4. Now you’re gonna multi-task. Once the oven is ready, place the aubergines in for about 20-25 minutes total, flipping them half-way.
5. Get a large pot out, and heat a tablespoon of olive or rapeseed oil. Add the garlic and red onion, and cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent.
6. Add the spices to the pot, and cook for another few minutes so the onions are coated in them.
7. Add ALL of your veggies, and stir again.
8. Tomatoes time! Add the tin of chopped tomatoes plus the water.
9. Stir all that goodness up, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and a twist of black pepper,
10. Add the chickpeas, stir again and bring the mixture to the boil.
11. Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover it, and leave to cook for 10-15 minutes. Stir the mix a couple of times while simmering.
12. At this stage, your aubergine slices are probably done, so remove them from the oven and set aside while your sauce simmers. Leave the oven on as you will need it to cook the dish.
13. After simmering the mixture in the pot, turn off the heat. Taking care with the hot pot, add the contents of it to a square baking tray (mine is about 1.5 inches deep and 8×8 inches). Spread out the mix so it’s evenly distributed.
14. Add the aubergine slices on top to cover the mixture, and then sprinkle the feta crumbles on top of the aubergines.
15. Place the square dish back in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Yours may be done sooner – at 25 minutes, have a peek. If the sauce is bubbling and the feta has melted down, you’re good to go – remove from the oven.
16. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then serve up and tuck in!
17. You can store portions of this bake in the fridge for up to 4 days. It’s also suitable for freezing – ensure it is defrosted fully before consumption.

Enjoy guys! I really hope you like this one, I was VERY proud of how it turned out. Tag me if you try it – @theirishbalance on Instagram or Twitter!

Ciara 🙂 x