Seitan, chickpea and aubergine baked stew
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 2
This Middle Eastern-inspired vegan casserole is easy to put together but full of flavour with the rich tomato sauce and savoury seitan. It's also high protein and has plenty of gut-friendly fibre.
Each serving provides 437 kcal, 37g protein, 36.5g carbohydrate (of which 12.5g sugars), 12.5g fat (of which 2g saturates), 15.4g fibre and 3.64g salt.
By Rhian Melvin
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 aubergine, sliced into 5mm/¼in thick discs
- ½ red onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 200g/7oz seitan, torn into 2–3cm/¾–1¼in chunks
- 200g/7oz passata
- 300ml/10fl oz vegetable stock
- ½ tsp granulated sugar
- fresh basil leaves, to garnish
- crusty bread slices, freshly cooked pasta or freshly steamed rice, to serve (optional)
Method
Heat a tablespoon oil in a frying pan over a medium–high heat. Fry the aubergine slices for 2–3 minutes on each side until lightly golden – this may need to be done in batches. Transfer to kitchen paper to drain.
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Heat the remaining oil in the same pan and fry the onion for about 5 minutes until beginning to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Add the paprika, cayenne pepper and oregano. Cook for a minute or until fragrant. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute, or until darkened in colour.
Stir in the chickpeas, seitan, passata, stock and sugar.
Transfer half of the chickpea mixture to a deep baking dish. Arrange half of the aubergine slices in a single layer on top, using the largest aubergine slices for this layer.
Spread the remaining half of the chickpea mixture evenly on top. Arrange the remaining aubergine slices on top.
Bake for about 25 minutes until bubbling and the aubergine is golden and tender.
Serve, garnish with the basil leaves, on its own or with bread, rice, pasta or any other carb as desired.
