Baked Aubergine with Cashew Cheese, Pesto and rich Tomato Sauce (Gluten Free)

Packed full of vibrant Mediterranean flavours, this super simple dish is a perfect mid-week meal the whole family can enjoy.

This dish is inspired by long summer days in the Mediterranean; taking those big robust flavours and turning them into a delicious mid-week meal, which is sure to become a crowd-favourite in any household.

Finished with a zingy, fresh pesto and a rich tomato sauce, these sauces are the ideal companion to the creamy cashew cheese slathered on top of the soft baked flesh of the aubergine.

I like to char mine slightly before baking to bring a deeper layer of flavour out of the skin, but you can skip this step if you prefer — just reduce the cooking time on the griddle pan slightly.

You can serve this dish with a wide variety of sides: big fresh and seasonal salads in the summer, or with roasted vegetables in the winter. No matter what season I’m cooking this in, I always serve bread with mine to mop up all those wonderful juices and sauces.

If you’re not a huge aubergine fan, this recipe also works great with a small roasted butternut squash or long slices of a baked sweet potato, just add the sauces on top of your chosen baked vegetable and enjoy!

Love Niki xx

Baked aubergine with cashew cheese, pesto and rich tomato sauce (gluten free)

Prep time: 30

Cook time: 1

4 servings

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Ingredients

For the sauce

1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic sliced
5 large ripe tomatoes sliced
2 red peppers chopped lengthways
1 tsp sea salt
Pinch of pepper
Pinch of chilli flakes optional

For the aubergine

2 aubergines sliced lengthwise and then cross scored
1 tbsp olive oil
Big pinch sea salt

For the cashew cheese

1 cup cashews soaked for at least 1 hour
¼ cup water
4 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sea salt

For the pesto

2 big handfuls of basil
100 g Brazil nuts
1 clove garlic
4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
Twist of black pepper
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
Water to loosen

Instructions

To make the sauce

Char grill the peppers on a griddle pan on a high heat for approx 15 minutes, turning frequently until nice and charred on both sides.
Set aside to cool, then roughly chop.
Add your oil and onion to a wide bottom pan and fry gently on a low heat for around 10 minutes until soft and browning.
Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds.
Add the tomatoes and roast peppers to the pan and cook on a low heat for 25 minutes.
Add the salt, black pepper and chilli flakes (optional) to the pan and simmer for a further 5 minutes, then set aside.

To make the aubergine

Rub a little olive oil on both sides of your aubergines.
Pre-heat your griddle pan until hot and then place your aubergines on the pan; keep turning them until both sides are fully cooked all the way through and nice and charred on the outside.

To make the cashew cheese

Add all the ingredients into your food processor, then blitz until smooth.
To make the pesto
Add all the ingredients into your food processor, then blitz into a chunky paste. Add some water to loosen the mixture if needed.

To assemble

Pre heat your oven to Gas Mark 4 /180c.
Spoon the tomato sauce evenly into the bottom of a large baking tray (make sure it’s big enough for the aubergines to lie down).
Place the aubergines bottom down on top of the tomato sauce, then spread some cashew cheese and a little drizzle of pesto on to the top of the slices of aubergine.
Cover in foil and bake for 20 minutes.

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