Tomato and roasted aubergine baked gnocchi

It’s been unseasonably wet and cold here in the UK – summer seems to have gone elsewhere and we’ve been fast forwarded to autumn. Fighting the urge to put the heating on, it seemed a good idea to turn to some comfort food, using one of my favourite seasonal veggies, aubergine (eggplant).

I am a big fan of aubergine for both flavour (or rather it’s ability to absorb it) and texture – I love how the flesh goes all gooey and soft when cooked but the skin stays firm. It’s packed full of nutritional goodies like  B vitamins and manganese, but more importantly it’s purple! That means glorious phytonutrients that act as anti-oxidants and support cell processes to keep us healthy. One specific one, nasunin, is thought to help protect the fats found in cell membranes from being damaged; this is particularly important in the brain, so aubergine really is brain food!

Two fat bulbous aubergines arrived in the veg box this week; my daughter is also finally home for the summer, so of course I’m smothering her in mummy-love via her stomach! So this dish is perfect as it contains many of her favourite things – gnocchi, aubergine and cashew cheese.

If you’ve not made cashew cheese sauce before, then it’s really worth it! We have given up buying dairy free cheese as, to be honest, they generally taste unpleasant and are packed full of altered fats and flavourings – not good for anyone with food intolerances as you just can’t tell what is in there! This recipe does contain nutritional yeast, although it can be omitted if you cannot tolerate it. As yeast is one of my food intolerances, this is quite a new (and welcome) introduction to my diet. Even though it contains inactive yeast, I can only tolerate a little from time to time, but that is progress! It adds a lovely cheesy flavour and acts as a source of vitamin B12 which can be lacking at times in a plant based diet. If you do omit it, just add a bit more salt to enhance the flavour.

This dish really hits the spot; it’s rich, it has depth and just ticks all the boxes for comfort. It also contains surprising few ingredients for the flavour – the richness comes from roasting the aubergine and garlic.

I confess I am yet to perfect the art of making home made gnocchi – mine turns into tough, heavy lumps – so I used shop bought. Make sure you check that it’s dairy free, as many brands add in milk powder, and there’s not a huge long list of additives. There are some good gluten free ones around too in the supermarket, but again make sure they are completely plant based. My favourite is Difatti gluten free spinach gnocchi – it cooks well and isn’t stodgy.

This is definitely a multi-tasking recipe – the gnocchi, roasting and sauce making can all go on at the same time so it doesn’t take all day to make! Equally, you can roast the veg the day before if you have the oven on then keep them in an air-tight container in the fridge until you’re ready to make the dish. It saves time and money.

The recipe serves 3 good portions, just double if you’re cooking for more, or want left-overs – and you will because it’s just so tasty! Enjoy – and don’t forget to let me know how you get on.

Tomato and roasted aubergine baked gnocchi

A super tasty meal that never fails to impress

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Servings: 3 portions

Course: Main Course

Calories:

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 1 medium onion red or white, sliced
• 1 large aubergine cut into small chunks
• 2 cloves of garlic left whole in the skin
• dash of olive oil optional
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• 400 grams tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 500 grams gnocchi gluten free if needed

For the cashew cheese topping

• 80 grams cashew nuts soaked for minimum 1 hour
• 125 mls water
• 2 heaped tablespoon nutritional yeast
• Himalayan salt

OR for the soya cream topping

• 100 ml soya cream
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

 

1. First, roast the veggies. Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4.
2. Place the sliced onion and chopped aubergine into a baking tin or dish with the garlic cloves in the middle. Drizzle over a dash of olive oil, or water if preferred, and roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
3. Pop the cherry tomatoes into the dish and continue to roast for another 10 minutes until the aubergine is soft and gooey. Remove from the oven and cool slightly (this can all be done the day before if the opportunity arises).
4. Cook the gnocchi: Bring a large saucepan full of water to the boil, add the gnocchi and bring back to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes until it’s bobbing at the top of the pan, then drain well.
5. Whilst the gnocchi is in the pan, grab the roasted garlic cloves and remove the outer skin. Pop them in the bottom of a bowl and mash with a fork. Pour in the tinned tomatoes, add the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Mix really well to combine.
6. To make the cashew cheese sauce: Drain the soaked cashew nuts and place them in the bowl of a small blender. Add the remaining ingredients and blitz until smooth. Add more seasoning, nutritional yeast or water as need to get the flavour and a good pouring consistency.
7. OR to make the soya cream, mix the ingredients together in a small bowl with a whisk until everything is combined. Taste and add more seasoning as required.
8. Now it's time to bring everything together. Add the cooked gnocchi and roasted veg to the tomato sauce and gently stir well to combine. Spoon the mix into an oven proof dish then pour the cashew cheese or soya cream mix on top.
9. Bake in the oven at 180ºC for 15 minutes until everything is piping hot and the sauce starts to brown. Serve with a green salad and a big smile!

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