Sausage & 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 bangers.

SERVES 4 PREP 30min COOK about 1hr 30min

• 3 aubergines, thinly sliced lengthways

• 2tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 red onion, finely chopped

• 300g (11oz) pork sausage meat

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1tsp dried thyme

• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

• 1tsp caster sugar

• 250g pack mozzarella, diced

• 25g (1oz) Parmesan, finely grated

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

2 Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a separate large pan and gently fry onion for 10min, until softened. Add sausage meat in small chunks; cook for 10min until browned all over. Stir in garlic and thyme; cook for 1min. Add tomatoes, sugar and plenty of seasoning.

3 Bring to boil and simmer for 15min, until thickened slightly.

4 Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Arrange ⅓ of the aubergines in a layer in the base of a deep 23 x 30.5cm (9 x 12in) ovenproof dish. Spoon over ⅓ of the tomato sauce, then dot over ⅓ of the mozzarella. Repeat twice more; sprinkle over Parmesan.

5 Cook for 30-35min, until golden.

Serve with a green salad, if you like.

PER SERVING: CALS 580; FAT 40G; SAT FAT 17G; CARBS 23G

‘A nourishing, hearty meal that is perfect for a cold night’