This vegetarian meal is great for meal-planning as it keeps really well in the fridge for up to four days. It’s also easy to mix up: serve it one day as a warm bowl with quinoa, couscous or brown rice, the next in a pita with some tzatziki and hummus, on grilled sourdough slices with a drizzle of olive oil or alongside an added portion of protein, like a chicken breast.
What You Need:
- Olive oil
- 1 brown onion, finely chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
½ tsp cumin - ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp smoky paprika
- ½ tsp chilli flakes (or ras el hanout spice blend)
- 2 medium-large aubergines, sliced into 2-3cm pieces
- 1 tin of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 tins chopped tomatoes (or 6-8 freshly chopped tomatoes)
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to season
- Fresh basil or Italian parsley, for garnishing (optional)
Method:
1/ Heat a large pot over medium heat. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil inside and then sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and spices and a little extra olive oil as needed and sauté for a further 2-3 minutes.
2/ Add your aubergines and stir to coat in the spices and slightly cook the outsides. Aubergines suck up liquid quickly, so add another tablespoon of olive oil. After 2-3 minutes, add the chickpeas and tomatoes. Stir to combine.
3/ Add 1 to 2 cups of water, to cover the vegetables, and set aside to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4/ Once the vegetables have cooked through and the mixture is thick, remove from the heat.
5/ Taste test and season accordingly. (hint: if your mixture is too acidic from the tinned tomatoes, add a ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda and stir it in, to help neutralise.)
6/ Garnish with herbs and serve.
Enjoy!