This hearty aubergine, chickpea & tomato bake is inspired from Morocco, but made in a Greek way. It's a vegan meal that's vibrant and full of flavor.
Rich, garlicky tomato sauce, soft aubergines and a little of texture from the chickpeas. Serve as a main dish or as an appetizer. Enjoy with bread, flatbread, garlic herb dinner rolls, bread rolls etc.
Ingredients & Substitution
Aubergines, chickpeas and tomatoes are the main ingredients for this dish. For extra flavor you can add green or red pepper when sautéing onion.
I've chosen parsley for this dish, but feel free to replace it with basil if you prefer.
Sugar helps to balance the acidity of the tomatoes, so I recommend not to avoid it.
How to prepare chickpeas
In a large pot add chickpeas and plenty of water, cover with the lid and let soak for at least 6 hours or overnight. Then drain chickpeas, place them again in the pot, add salt and enough water to cover them by 1 ½ – 2 inches. Cover the pot with the lid and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer chickpeas for 1 ½ hours for al dente and 2 hours for soft. Next, drain them.
Alternatively use pressure cooker to cook chickpeas in less time or buy store bought cooked chickpeas.
How to make Aubergine, Chickpea & Tomato Bake
You can seperate the method into 3 steps.
Prepare chickpeas and vegetables.
Sauté in a pan.
Transfer to a casserole dish or baking pan and bake.
Recipe
Servings: 4-6
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 50 mins
Ingredients
4 medium aubergines, cut into cubes
300 gr. chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 big onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
60 gr. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. tomato paste
400 gr. chopped tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp parsley, chopped (plus extra for garnish)
salt & pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 200 degrees (400 F).
In a big pan heat 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive. Add onion and sauté until half transparent. Add garlic, aubergines and chickpeas and sauté for a minute. Then add tomato paste and mix to combine.
Next add chopped tomatoes and parsley, season with salt & pepper and stir to combine. Lower heat to medium and cook for a few more minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning according to your preferences if needed.
Transfer to a casserole dish and add the rest of the extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with some sugar and bake for 30 minutes or until liquids are absorbed.
Serve, sprinkle with some feta cheese if desired and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
If you make this recipe, I'd love to see pictures of your creation on social media. Hashtag them #sweetandsaltyfeelings and tag @sweetandsalty_feelings
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