Chickpea & Mozzarella Baked Aubergines

Name: Chickpea & Mozzarella Baked Aubergines
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean, European
Ingredients: 4 aubergines; 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing; 2 celery stalk, finely diced; 2 medium carrots, finely diced; 1 red onion, finely diced; salt; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 2 tsp dried oregano; a 400g (14oz) can chickpeas; a 400g (14oz) can chopped tomatoes (swill out with some water); 1 tbsp dark soy sauce; 4 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked; 3 dates, pits removed, roughly chopped; 150g (5.3oz) mozzarella cheese, roughly chopped

4 steps

Prep:20minCook:1h

A quick chickpea ragu is stuffed into aubergines, topped with cheese, and baked until golden and soft. This is my favourite way to eat stuffed aubergines and is a delicious veggie-friendly recipe. You can easily make it vegan by using a vegan cheese alternative on top, too.

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 09:02:15 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Great

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories437.6 kcal (22%)

Total Fat15.3 g (22%)

Carbs63 g (24%)

Sugars33 g (37%)

Protein20 g (40%)

Sodium1046 mg (52%)

Fiber21 g (75%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

4 servings

4aubergines

1 Tbspolive oil

plus extra for brushing

1 tspground cinnamon

2 tspdried oregano

400gchickpeas

can

400gchopped tomatoes

can, swill out with some water

1 Tbspdark soy sauce

4 sprigsthyme

leaves picked

3dates

pits removed, roughly chopped

150gmozzarella cheese

roughly chopped

Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Halve the aubergines and scoop out most of the inside, using a small knife to help if needed, and leaving a slight border of aubergine flesh. Brush the cut sides of the aubergine with some oil and place into a casserole dish, cut side up, and bake for 20 minutes.

Step 2

Take the aubergine innards you just scooped and roughly chop them up.

Step 3

Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil over a medium heat. Once hot, add the celery, carrot and onion. Season with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until softened (15-20 minutes). Stir in the cinnamon and oregano then pour in the chickpeas and the water from their can and chopped tomatoes. Swill out the tomato tin with a bit of water and add that to the frying pan too. Stir in the soy sauce, thyme and dates and leave to simmer on a low heat, stirring occasionally, until thick – about 20-30 minutes.

Step 4

Once the aubergines have baked for 20 minutes, spoon the chickpea mixture into the cavity in each one. Top with the mozzarella and bake again for 30 minutes. Serve hot.