All That I'm Eating

Recipe ideas for budget meals, everyday cooking and a little indulgence. Travel inspiration and restaurant reviews too.

Easy Vegetable Lasagne

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Easy Vegetable Lasagne after baking

There’s a very good reason why this is an easy vegetable lasagne: there’s no béchamel! One of the things I love most about lasagne is how comforting it is, all those layers of pasta and sauce, so I didn’t want to miss any of that by cutting out a few steps. It’s still creamy and cheesy but only uses one sauce. This is such an easy recipe and you can use whatever vegetables you have to hand.

ingredients

You will need (for four portions):

  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 aubergine, roughly chopped
  • 2 peppers (whatever colour(s)) you like, seeds removed and roughly chopped
  • Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
  • Any other vegetables you like, such as courgette, carrot, etc. prepared and roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed but left whole
  • Olive oil for cooking
  • Salt and pepper
  • 600ml passata
  • 200ml crème fraîche
  • 1 tbsp red pesto
  • 25g Parmesan, grated

Method

Start by preheating an oven to 180C.

Put all of the prepared vegetables onto a baking tray and drizzle over enough oil to give everything a light covering. Add a little salt and pepper and give everything a good mix with your hands. read more

Moussaka – without frying the aubergines

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Moussaka is one of my favourite dishes to eat. It’s a bit of an involved one to make, you need four different cooking pans going to make all the component parts; that’s why I don’t make it very often! Frying the aubergines, I think, is one of the most laborious parts of making the moussaka so I’ve got a different way of doing it. My moussaka without frying the aubergines is every bit as good as the original and you use far less oil than if you fry them. Win win.

Leaving the bay leaf in the sauce while it bakes really helps to impart a lovely flavour into the béchamel sauce. I’m not sure the potatoes on top are necessarily that traditional but I know so many people who add them to the top that I can’t imagine eating moussaka without them. This is a rich, full of flavour meal and cooking the moussaka without frying the aubergines does make things easier. The once or twice a year I make moussaka I try to make a double batch so that I can keep one in the freezer for a rainy day. read more

Aubergine and Ricotta Gnocchi Bake

By 10 Comments

aubergine and ricotta gnocchi bake

What’s that? More aubergines? Yes actually, and I make no apologies because this Aubergine and Ricotta Gnocchi Bake is so good that I think we can all forgive if I’ve been a little heavy on the aubergine recipes of late. The key to this dish comes down to two things. Firstly, the aubergine has to be fried beautifully to make sure it’s soft, silky and golden brown. Secondly, adding a handful of cherry tomatoes really transforms the tomato base as it adds a wonderful freshness and sweetness. This is such a delicious vegetarian dish and one that feels at home as much now, in the summer, as it would in the autumn.

Ingredients

You will need (for two):

  • 2 medium aubergines, cut into length slices, then halved and chopped into finger sized pieces
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • Olive oil for cooking
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • Handful really ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 200g ricotta cheese
  • Pinch sugar
  • Few sprigs fresh basil and oregano, roughly chopped
  • Salt and pepper
  • Parmesan cheese

Method

Get a large frying pan on a medium heat and add a little oil, you need enough to just cover the bottom of the pan. Add the aubergine and fry until golden brown and soft. You may need to do this in batches depending on how much aubergine you have and how big your pan is. Once the aubergine is done place it on some kitchen paper to remove any excess oil.

Add a little more oil to the pan and add the onion. Fry for around 10 minutes before adding the garlic. Continue to fry for a few more minutes then tip in the chopped and cherry tomatoes.

Bring the tomato mixture to a simmer and continue to simmer until it’s reduced by around a third then add the sugar, salt and pepper, basil and oregano.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the gnocchi according to pack instructions; but drain them around 30 seconds before the pack says to. The gnocchi will continue to cook in the oven.

Remove the tomato sauce from the heat and stir in the ricotta and aubergine.

Drain the gnocchi and add to the tomato and aubergine mix, stir everything together well and then put into an oven proof dish. Grate over a little Parmesan.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200C for around 20 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbling.

You could definitely try using any shape of pasta rather than gnocchi if you wanted to.  I know you shouldn’t really cook with basil but I actually like the way the leaves wilt and give their subtle flavour over to the sauce once they are cooked. It’s great to dive into this dish and get a forkful of everything: sticky gnocchi, soft aubergine, creamy ricotta, a chunk of tomato, a bit of basil and a bit of punch from the Parmesan. I don’t think a few slices of fried courgette would go amiss either.

Roasted Aubergine and Tomato Pasta

By 9 Comments

roasting the aubergine and tomatoes

There have been several aubergine themed recipes on the meal plan and blog recently, I just can’t seem to eat enough of them! The combination of aubergine and tomatoes is a hard one to beat, it’s one of my absolute favourites. Even better when the veggies are roasted to intensify the flavour and served with cheese. My roasted aubergine and tomato pasta is the culmination of many attempts to get it just right. Dicing the aubergine up like this not only means a quicker cooking time but more aubergine surface area to soak up all that olive oil.

Ingredients

You will need (for two):

  • 1 large aubergine, chopped into cubes around the same size as the cherry tomatoes
  • 2 handfuls cherry tomatoes
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed but skins left on
  • 150g pasta
  • 125g mozzarella, torn or chopped into small cubes
  • 3 sundried tomatoes, finely diced
  • Few sprigs fresh basil, roughly torn

Method

Tip the diced aubergine, tomatoes and garlic onto a non-stick baking tray. Add a good glug of olive oil along with some salt and pepper and mix everything together with your hands so that everything is well coated in oil and seasoning.

Roast everything in an oven at 190C for 25-30 minutes or until the tomatoes are just starting to split and the aubergine is turning golden brown.

While the aubergine is roasting cook the pasta according to packet instructions.

Drain the pasta well and tip in the roasted veg (discarding the garlic) along with the sundried tomatoes, basil and mozzarella.

Dig in!

The hot pasta will start to melt the mozzarella which in turn will get all tangled with any caramelised bits of tomato or aubergine that you scraped off the tray. The silky aubergine, sweet tomato, creamy mozzarella, fresh basil and intense sundried tomato are such fantastic flavours together. I am yet to try batch cooking this and freezing it and I think without the cheese it would freeze quite well. You can serve it over pasta or use it as a bruschetta topping; I would be the last person to judge you if you just ate it on its own. Another version with ricotta will be experimented with soon too. Any excuse for more aubergines in my kitchen.

Miso Glazed Aubergine with Pickled Cucumber Salad

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miso glazed aubergine, cucumber pickle and red rice

I’m not ashamed. I will admit it. I am an aubergine-aholic. Babaganoush, parmigiana, in a curry, moussaka, stirred through pasta there isn’t any meal I don’t love which has aubergines in. This recipe may sound familiar, as I have made something similar before, but this miso glazed aubergine when combined with a quick pickled cucumber salad really is a match made in heaven. Depending on the size of your aubergines this takes around half an hour to make, a little longer if they are large and need more time in the oven.

Ingredients

You will need (for two):

For the aubergines

  • 2 aubergines, sliced in half lengthways and flesh scored in a criss cross pattern (don’t slice into the skin though)
  • 2 tbsp miso paste (the best you can get your hands on)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp runny honey (use agave or maple syrup to make it vegan)
  • 1 tsp water
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil

For the cucumber pickle

  • 1 small cucumber, sliced into a strip using a vegetable peeler
  • 1 small red onion, peeled and finely sliced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 small piece ginger, finely grated
  • Few sprigs fresh coriander, roughly chopped

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    Miso Roasted Aubergine with Rainbow Chard and Soy Dressing

    By 14 Comments

    miso roasted aubergine with chard and brown rice

    There’s a bit of a miso theme on the blog at the moment. For two reasons: firstly, miso is delicious and secondly, it’s expensive and you have to buy quite a lot. So I needed to use up my stash and I really wanted to have a go at my own miso roasted aubergine. Most of the ingredients used are pretty standard store cupboard staples; I was pretty amazed how much more than the sum of its parts this recipe is. It’s fantastic, if I do say so myself, and my miso glaze and my soy dressing will be making many future appearances in my kitchen.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for two):

    • 2 aubergines (normal purple ones are fine but if you can get stripy or white ones they do look lovely and are slightly smaller)
    • 150g brown rice
    • 5 stalks of chard roughly chopped

    For the miso glaze:

    • 2 tbsp white miso paste
    • 1 tbsp soy sauce
    • 1 tsp runny honey (use maple syrup or agave to make it vegan)
    • 1 tsp water
    • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil

    For the dressing:

  • 2 tbsp finely chopped red onion
  • 1 tsp pickled ginger
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • Juice 1 lime
  • black pepper
  • 1 tsp sugar

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    Layered Ragu and Aubergine Pasta Bake

    By 15 Comments

    Layered Ragu and Aubergine Pasta Bake with salad and wine

    I think I’m part Italian. More likely, I like to think I’m part Italian. The reason for this recent realisation is that Italian food is the food I crave the most; when I’m looking for inspiration I invariably turn my attention to that most wonderful of countries. Pasta is the obvious Italian ingredient to inspire meals but the rice dishes, salads, marinades, stews, cheeses, meats and sauces always make me feel like I’m having a little Italian getaway in my own kitchen. This ragu and aubergine pasta bake was inspired by Rick Stein’s recent series: Long Weekends. I’m sure my recipe is very different to theirs, I’m bound to have forgotten some ingredients or added others, but the principle is the same; great big, hearty portions of food. It’s worth getting hold of some fontina cheese for this pasta bake (more on that later).

    Ingredients

    You will need (for 4-6 portions):

    • 3 tbsp olive oil for cooking
    • 2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
    • 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
    • 2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
    • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 4 slices pancetta, finely chopped
    • 500g pork mince
    • 500g beef mince
    • 2 tbsp tomato paste
    • 700ml passata
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • Salt and pepper
    • 50g Parmesan, grated
    • 200g orzo pasta
    • 2 aubergines, sliced thinly
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • 200g fontina cheese, grated

    Method

    Put the sliced aubergine into a bowl with a sprinkle of salt and leave to one side while you start the ragu.

    Start by getting a large saucepan on a medium heat and adding the olive oil. Add the onions, carrots and celery to a blender and blend until finely chopped. If you don’t have a blender you can finely chop them by hand (I blend to save time). Add the vegetables to the pan, pop a lid on and leave to soften for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    Add the garlic and bay leaves to the pan and leave to cook for another five minutes.

    Increase the heat slightly and add the pancetta, beef and pork mince. Stir often until the minces have gone brown and any water has evaporated leaving you with a dry-ish mix.

    Add the tomato paste, passata, sugar and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Fill the passata jar up with a little water (about 150ml) and then tip this into the pan. Bring everything to the boil then leave the mix to simmer, with the lid ajar, for around 45 minutes and stir from time to time.

    Wipe off any excess salt from the aubergine then add the 2 tbsp olive oil and mix into the aubergine well. You can either bake or fry the aubergine depending on your preference. Frying them gives a nicer finished texture but they can be a little oily and it takes longer to do as it needs to be done in batches. Baking them takes a little longer and the skins don’t go quite as crispy. Griddling would be fantastic. Whichever you choose, cook the aubergine slices and leave to one side.

    The ragu mix should be nice and thick. Cook the orzo according to packet instructions, drain then stir into the ragu along with the Parmesan. Check the seasoning and adjust if needed.

    You can make one big ragu bake or two smaller ones; I opted for two smaller so that I could have the leftovers the next day. Put half of the ragu mixture into the bottom of a baking dish. Put a layer of aubergine slices over the top and sprinkle over a handful of the fontina. Spoon the remaining ragu mix over the fontina then top with the remaining aubergine slices and finish with the remaining fontina.

    Bake at 180C for 25-30 minutes until bubbling and golden brown.

    Serve with a crisp green salad.

    I hope that before you read the recipe you already knew that this was going to be pretty special. It is everything that I look for with hearty Italian food; perfect at this time of year when the days make you crave salad but the evening suggests you need stew. It’s a big dish and actually contains five different vegetables (and two cheeses and three meats!) so the flavours are complex and deep. Fontina is the best cheese for this; its low melting point means the inside layers are gooey and stringy but the top goes beautifully crisp and the tangy, slightly sweet flavour of the cheese is unique. You’ll need to find a cheesemonger to get hold of some, you can get it online too, it’s not easily available on supermarket shelves but once you’ve found it (and tried it) I think you’ll agree it was worth seeking out.

    Baked Aubergine, Halloumi and Tomato Mashed Potato

    By 14 Comments

    Baked Aubergine, Halloumi and Tomato Mashed Potato - All That I'm Eating

    Sundried tomatoes, paste and pesto always hang around for a bit in my kitchen. I never seem to use a whole tub or jar so am left with trying to find different ways to use them up. And why not mix them with mashed potato! This Baked Aubergine, Halloumi and Tomato Mashed Potato is really rather very good; especially when you get a forkful of everything at once. Great for using up a few odds and ends too and you could easily stretch this to feed four people just by adding an extra aubergine and a few more potatoes.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for 2):

    • 1 aubergine, halved lengthways and scored
    • Large handful cherry tomatoes
    • Olive oil for cooking
    • 1 block halloumi, sliced
    • 400g potatoes, peeled and chopped
    • 2 tbsp sundried tomato paste
    • 15g Parmesan, grated
    • Salt and pepper
    • Salad to serve

    Method

    Preheat an oven to 180C. Place the aubergine halves on a baking tray with the cherry tomatoes. Drizzle over a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and bake for 30 minutes.

    Boil the potatoes until they are tender then drain. Mash with the sundried tomato paste, parmesan and some black pepper. The paste should have enough oil in to give the mash a good consistency but if not you can always add a little extra virgin olive oil.

    Just before the aubergine and mash are ready heat a frying pan on a medium heat and add the halloumi slices. Fry until golden brown on each side.

    Serve everything up together with a fresh salad on the side.

    I am on a bit of an adventure at the moment to come up with easy, quick, midweek meals that are tasty, balanced and don’t break the bank. I think this meal fits perfectly into those criteria, it used up some sundried tomato paste I had in the fridge and is a great veggie option too. The aubergine, tomatoes and salad mean you’re getting three of your ‘five a day’, it’s super summery but also filling and slightly indulgent with the cheese too. When you get a forkful of soft aubergine, sharp tomato, smooth and savoury mash with salty halloumi you can almost imagine your gazing out over the Aegean Sea.

    Aubergine, Butterbean, Pesto and Gnocchi Bake with Sacla

    By 15 Comments

    Aubergine Butterbean and Gnocchi Bake

    Pasta bake has got to be one of the best comfort dishes going. Plenty of carbs smothered in tomato, cheese or cream sauce with all sorts of lovely other bits in there; bacon or mushrooms being my favourite. For me a pasta bake is normally a weekend dish as it takes a bit of time to make, however, this recipe using gnocchi takes only 45 minutes from start to table and is mighty tasty and super simple too. Not only that, if you serve it with salad you’ve got five different vegetables (fruit if we’re being picky about the tomatoes and aubergine) all in one meal.  Say hello to my Aubergine, Butterbean, Pesto and Gnocchi Bake.

    I normally have a jar of pesto in my cupboards or fridge which I stir through pasta for a quick meal or spread in a toastie and this recipe is all about doing something different with your pesto. I used Sacla pestos in this dish, did you know that it’s 25 years since they introduced pesto to the UK? That’s many, many, many jars of pesto!

    You will need (for four):

    • 1 small aubergine, diced
    • 1 onion, roughly chopped
    • 1 clove garlic, crushed
    • 1 can chopped tomatoes
    • 1 can butter beans, drained
    • ½ jar Sacla Roasted Aubergine Pesto
    • Salt and pepper
    • Oil for cooking
    • 500g gnocchi
    • 1 ball mozzarella (I used low fat and it worked a treat), torn or sliced
    • 3 tsp Sacla Wild Garlic Pesto
    • Salad to serve

    Preheat your oven to 170C. Mix the chopped aubergine with a drizzle of oil and a little salt then tip onto a baking tray and pop in the oven. Roast the aubergine for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and soft.

    While the aubergine cooks get a large saucepan onto a medium heat and add a little oil. Stir in the onion and fry for 10 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes before pouring in the tomatoes and butter beans. Refill the tomato can halfway with water and pour this into the pan too. Leave to simmer for 15 minutes.

    Cook the gnocchi in boiling water for one minute then drain and put to one side.

    Remove the aubergine from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 200C. Add the roasted aubergine to the tomato sauce with the aubergine pesto and some salt and pepper.

    Stir the gnocchi into the tomato sauce and place in an ovenproof dish. Dot the top of the gnocchi with the wild garlic pesto and then cover the top with the mozzarella.

    Place the dish in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the dish is bubbling and the cheese has melted and is turning golden brown.

    I love how the green oil from the wild garlic pesto mixes with the cheese on top and makes a lovely herby, faintly garlicky top to the whole bake. It makes it smell so good while it’s baking too! The aubergine pesto in the sauce gives it a slight creaminess (because of the cashews in the pesto) and a hint of chargrilled flavour to tie everything together. There’s texture from the beans, softness from the gnocchi, acidity from the tomatoes all topped off with stringy cheese. What more could you want? You could really play around with the pestos too; I think red pepper pesto would be great in the sauce and classic basil pesto on top will be well worth a try. I think this will be making a regular appearance on my kitchen table.

    This is a sponsored post and I was reimbursed for my time and ingredients. All opinions and words are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me.

    Aubergine Curry

    By 10 Comments

    Spice mix for curry

    Every time I have attempted to make a curry I have always been disappointed. I had almost given up when I got a craving for aubergines and a desire for spice. This turned out to be a subtle and fragrant aubergine curry rather than a powerful and punchy dish.

    At the market there is a kind man who sells all the spices you could ever need. I purchased what I knew; coriander, cardamom, cumin, mustard and turmeric. I have since been back and purchased an awful lot more. I’m a bit of an onion fiend. If I had my way and the smell was tolerable for everyone else I’d happily munch through one like an apple. However as this might be considered unusual I try to cram as many onions into my food as possible.
    Some recipes call for a can of tomatoes but I wanted more texture and decided to use both fresh and tinned. Sometimes tomato seeds can add a nice bit of acidity to a meal but some meals are better without them. I used to read recipes that said to remove the seeds from the tomatoes and it filled me with dread. I persevered and having now mastered tomato seed removal I have to say it can be done in no time at all. Don’t get all caught up in appearance is my advice and forget any equipment, your hands are the best tools for the job.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for five to six large portions):

  • 1/2 a teaspoon each of cardamom, mustard seeds, cumin and turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds 
  • salt and pepper 
  • 2 large aubergines, in roughly chopped
  • 4 onions, sliced
  • 4 large garlic cloves
  • Oil for frying
  • 4 tomatoes, seeds removed and quartered
  • 1 tin tomatoes
  • 2 chillies, sliced (add more or less depending on how hot you like it)
  • 1 tin coconut milk
  • 300ml vegetable stock
  • Large handful coriander, roughly chopped

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