Aubergine and red lentil tagliatelle
This is a delicious dish which combines the smoky goodness of aubergine with the sweetness of tomatoes. And don't worry if certain family members don't like aubergine ... they won't even notice it is there!! If you don't fancy pasta, you could serve this dish with some crusty bread and a side salad instead.
Ingredients
- 1 large aubergine
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and finely sliced
- 1 leek (or onion) finely sliced
- Oil
- 400 g tinned tomatoes you could chop fresh and add instead
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt
- Pepper
- 150 g red lentils
- 350 g tagliatelle
Instructions
- Start by putting the whole aubergine in the oven and cooking (200°) for 30 minutes. You want the skin to blister. Once cooked remove from the oven and allow to cool
- Meanwhile, heat some oil in a large, lidded pan and soften the leeks and garlic - this will take about 10 minutes
- Add the lentils, tomatoes, lemon juice and a little salt and pepper to the leeks and garlic - stir
- Pop the lid on and cook (on low) for 15 minutes
- If your aubergine isn't ready yet, remove the pan from the heat until it is!
- Halve your aubergine and scoop out the middle. Roughly chop and add to the pan with the lentils, leeks etc along with ½ tin of water (about 200ml)
- Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat, pop on the lid and simmer for 15 minutes (if the lentils aren't cooked just add a little more water and continue to cook)
- Now it's time to cook your pasta - bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook according to the packet's instructions
- Drain, reserving a little to add to your pasta sauce
- When everything is ready, add the tagliatelle to the pasta sauce with the reserved water and toss to combine ... enjoy!