We all need a collection of weeknight staples in our recipe boxes – and this LCHF aubergine lasagna bake deserves its spot too.
Rich, slow cooked mince, grilled aubergine and cream cheese, all layered together and topped with more cheese…
Aah – deliciousness!
Having young children can sometimes make cooking in the late afternoons / early evenings a bit difficult, as they would rather you spend that time playing with them.
And in our house, unless I involve them in the cooking process – which I love to do and I do often – the struggle is real ;)
So I like to either prep things in advance for easy and super-fast cooking, or I like to cook some entire dishes in advance. But you can’t always do that, can you?
This is one of those dishes that are perfect for making in advance! And you know, maybe let the kids help you with the prep on a weekend, or when it’s not a mad rush and everyone’s hungry…
Let them grate the carrot or cheese or even just let them stir the pot – they love it and I’ve found that 9/10 times they’re more likely to eat the food when they’ve helped to prepare it. #TrueStory
[recipe title=”LCHF Aubergine Lasagna Bake” servings=”6″ time=”1hr mins” difficulty=”easy”]
You will need:
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
500g beef mince
2 tomatoes, finely chopped – I like to use a blender
1/2 an onion, finely chopped
1/2 a cup of Cabernet Sauvignon
1 carrot, finely grated
2 tsp tomato paste
2 large aubergines, sliced into 5mm thick slices
olive oil
250 g plain cream cheese
100 g Mozzarella cheese, grated
Sauté the onion in a glug of olive oil.
Add cumin, pepper & garlic.
Add mince, season with salt and cook.
Next, add half the wine to deglaze pot and let it cook away.
Add tomato paste and let it caramelise. {I like to wait a bit before adding the tomatoes or more wine, just to let the tomato paste get a nice caramelised and smokey flavour.}
Now add carrot and mix. Add tomatoes and the rest of the wine – season with more salt if necessary.
Now let it simmer on a low heat until all the flavours have mingled nicely. {Approx 20 minutes}
Grill the aubergine slices in a bit of olive oil in a non-stick pan until golden brown.
Now, layer in a small oven dish as follows:
Aubergine layer, topped with mince sauce, topped with cream cheese.
Repeat, finish with another layer of aubergine and top with the grated Mozzarella.
Bake for 20-30 minutes in a pre-heated oven of 180C, or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.
[/recipe]
If you are pressed for time, out of ideas or simply battle with your meal planning and want a little helping hand, check out my Meal Prep 101 post!
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