Gardeners Pie
“You won’t miss the meat in this hearty and satisfying pie, perfect for the cooler months and very leftover friendly. The cauliflower crust is so good and keeps the carbs down and veggies up!”
This recipe was made in collaboration with Chef Tom Walton!
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, sliced into 1cm rounds
4 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt, fresh ground black pepper
½ head cauliflower, roughly chopped
1 brown onion, finely diced
2 medium cup mushrooms, finely chopped
3 clove garlic, sliced
800g blanched and chopped tomatoes (or 2 x 400g tin tomatoes)
400ml vegetable stock
1 x 400g tin lentils, rinsed, drained
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olive, roughly chopped
100g marinated feta or goats feta
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/3 cup white, long grain rice
Handful flat leaf parsley
SERVES: 4 | Prep Time: 25 Minutes & Cook Time: 40 Minutes
Method
Preheat an oven to 200C.
Brush the eggplant slices with half the olive oil, season lightly and place onto a lined baking tray. Roast for 10 minutes until lightly golden and soft. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the cauliflower and cook until very soft, around 8 minutes. Drain well and allow to steam dry in a sieve.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium/high heat and add the onion, mushrooms, garlic, thyme, and a big pinch of salt. Cook for 3 minutes until they have broken down then add the tinned tomato, stock and simmer for 5 minutes before adding the lentils and olive and continue to cook for 2 minutes.
Crush the cauliflower with a potato masher, mix through the feta and season to taste.
Preheat the oven to 210C. Spoon 1/3 of the ragu into a 30cm pie dish sprinkle over half the rice then a layer of eggplant, ragu, rice, eggplant, ragu and finally top with the cauliflower, crated cheddar, and little drizzle of olive oil.
Lightly grease a piece of foil and place it, grease side down, to lightly wrap over the pie then bake for 40 minutes removing the foil halfway through cooking and continue to cook until golden and bubbling.
Recipe by: A Better Choice
