Recipe Of The Week – Aubergine And Turkey Lasagne
This is a perfect dish to put together at the weekend for the whole family to enjoy. It feels extremely indulgent but won’t derail any weightloss goals you may have.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, peeled and grated
- 300g turkey breast mince
- 150g mushrooms, finely chopped
- 2 courgettes, finely chopped
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 350ml chicken/vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 bunch fresh basil
- 2 medium aubergines, cut into 2mm slices
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 300g cottage cheese
- 100g mature cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 tbsp milk
Method
- Place a deep, heavy based frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil, garlic, onion and carrot and cook until softened
- Once softened, add the turkey mince, breaking up with a wooden spoon whilst it browns
- Add the mushrooms, courgettes, fresh thyme and chilli flakes and cook until the veg is soft
- Finally add the canned tomatoes, stock, balsamic vinegar, basil leaves and black pepper and stir to combine
- Bring the mixture to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the liquid has sufficiently reduced
- Whilst reducing, heat up a griddle pan and brush with a little olive oil and griddle the aubergine slices for 30-60 seconds on each side – do this in batches to ensure each piece is nicely grilled
- Add the cottage cheese, 75g of the cheddar cheese and milk to a blender, and blend until smooth
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan
- Using a large ovenproof dish (approx. 24 x 24 cm) assemble your lasagne
- We recommend the layers are combined in the following order: 1/3 turkey mince, 1/3 aubergine slices, ½ cheese sauce, 1/3 turkey mince, 1/3 aubergine, ½ cheese sauce, 1/3 turkey mince, 1/3 aubergine slices, the remaining 25g of cheddar cheese, sprinkled
- Once all of the layers are combined, cook in the preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes and serve immediately