Aubergine stuffed with Quorn ragu, topped with Parmesan, ricotta and lemon zest
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Danny Kingston served up a fabulous stuffed aubergine recipe, using Quorn mince to create a rich ragu. He tops off his dish with zingy lemon zest, creamy ricotta and Parmesan for extra comfort food factor. If cooking for vegetarians, use a similar hard cheese that uses vegetable rennet instead, as Parmesan contains animal rennet.
Ingredients
- 4 aubergines
- 300g of Quorn mince
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 1 celery stick , finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
- 400g of tinned chopped tomatoes
- 4 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 bunch of basil , small, leaves torn
- 200g of ricotta
- 100g of Parmesan
- salt
- pepper
- 1 lemon , zest and juice
- extra virgin olive oil
- salad leaves
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6
2
Cut the aubergines in half lengthways and scoop out the majority of the aubergine flesh with a spoon, leaving an outside border of flesh about 1cm thick
3
Place the scooped-out flesh in a bowl to one side. Place the aubergine shells on a baking tray, drizzle with 2 tbsp. of oil, then place in the oven and cover with foil. Bake for 15 minutes, until soft. Remove from the oven and leave to cool
4
Meanwhile, start your ragu by placing a saucepan on the hob over a medium heat. Add the remaining oil and then add the onion, celery and garlic
5
Bring the heat down, cover with a lid and gently sweat for about 10 minutes. Add the remaining aubergine flesh and cook for another 10 minutes until everything is gooey and soft
6
Add the tomatoes and cook through for a further 10 minutes. Add the Quorn mince, cook for another 10 minutes, then add the torn basil in and stir through. Season to taste and put to one side
7
For the topping, simply blend the ricotta and Parmesan in a bowl, add a splash of lemon juice and some pepper and combine
8
When ready, bring the heat of the oven down to 180°C/gas mark 4
9
Spoon a level amount of ragu into each aubergine shell and then spread a layer of the cheese mix on top. The end result might look a little bit messy but the topping will brown a touch, so it doesn’t matter
10
Bake for 20 minutes, until the topping begins to brown. Serve with a sprinkling of lemon zest, a drizzle of extra virgin oil and some salad leaves
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Aubergine stuffed with Quorn ragu, topped with Parmesan, ricotta and lemon zest
