SAUSAGE AND AUBERGINE LASAGNE

The aubergine acts as the pasta in this recipe. If you can’t find a pack of sausage meat, squeeze out the same weight of meat from your favourite sausages.

Preparation 30 minutes Cooking about 1 hour 30 minutes Serves 4

3 AUBERGINES, THINLY SLICED LENGTHWAYS

2 TBSP VEGETABLE OIL

1 RED ONION, FINELY CHOPPED

300G PORK SAUSAGE MEAT

2 GARLIC CLOVES, CRUSHED

1 TSP DRIED THYME

2 X 400G TINS CHOPPED TOMATOES

1 TSP CASTER SUGAR

250G PACK MOZZARELLA, CUT INTO SMALL CHUNKS 25G PARMESAN, FINELY GRATED

1 Brush the aubergine slices with 1½ tbsp of the oil and season. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the aubergine slices for 3-5 minutes on each side until nearly softened – you will need to do this in batches.

2 Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a separate large pan and gently fry the onion for 10 minutes until softened. Add the sausage meat in small chunks; cook for 10 minutes until browned all over. Stir in the garlic cloves and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar and plenty of seasoning. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes until thickened slightly.

3 Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan oven) gas mark 6. Arrange one-third of the aubergines in a layer in the base of a deep 23cm x 30cm ovenproof dish. Spoon over one-third of the tomato sauce, then dot over one-third of the mozzarella. Repeat twice more and sprinkle over the Parmesan. Cook for 30-35 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve with a green salad.