Whether you’re avoiding the washing-up or panicking over the news that we should now be eating 10 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, one-tray bakes will be your saving grace.
Cinnamon-Spiced Aubergines with Feta Cheese, Olives & Herbed Bulgur Wheat
Serves: 3 lunchboxes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Ingredients & Method 200g bulgur wheat, rinsed
400ml vegetable stock
100g green pitted olives
1 large aubergine,
sliced into 1⁄2cm half moons
1 red onion, thickly sliced
1 scant teaspoon ground
Cinnamon
1⁄2 a nutmeg, grated
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
25g flat-leaf parsley leaves,
finely chopped
100g rocket, finely chopped
1 lemon, juice only, plus
more if needed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
200g feta cheese, crumbled
1 pomegranate, seeds only
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C/gas 7. You will need two roasting tins for this dish: trust me I’ve tried doing it all in just one tin, and the aubergines do not like it. Tip the bulgur wheat, vegetable stock and olives into a smaller roasting tin while you get on with slicing the aubergines and onion.
Mix the vegetables with the cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and olive oil in a second roasting tin, large enough to hold everything in a single layer. Transfer both roasting tins to the oven for 25 minutes, until the aubergines are crisp and cooked through and the bulgur wheat is fluffy, with all the stock absorbed.
Stir the greens, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil through the bulgur wheat, then taste and adjust the salt and lemon juice as needed. Let everything cool down, then transfer the bulgur wheat into lunchboxes, top with the roasted aubergines and scatter the feta cheese and pomegranate seeds over the top. Refrigerate until needed.
TO MAKE IT VEGAN: Leave out the feta cheese at the end and add a tin of drained, rinsed chickpeas with the aubergines at step 2 for some added protein.
Recipe taken from The Quick Roasting Tin by Rukmini Iyer (£12.99, Square Peg)
