How to make an aubergine and pesto bake with roasted kalettes

Melt in the mouth layers of aubergine lie between a rich tomato sauce and a delicious basil pesto,that's topped off with a crunchy golden almond crumb

Aubergine and pesto bake with roasted kalettes

180g cherry tomatoes
1 garlic clove
1 red onion
200g passata
2 aubergines
2 tbsp sundried tomato paste
2 tsp oil
4 tbsp ground almonds
4 tbsp basil pesto
80g kalettes
80g spinach

Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark 7. Finely chop the garlic and dice the onion. Thinly slice the the aubergines into rounds. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Trim the kalettes. Heat a medium-sized pan with 1 tsp oil on a medium heat and cook the aubergine for 5 mins each side until golden brown and very soft. You may have to do this in batches as you don't want to overlap the aubergines when cooking.

Meanwhile, in a separate pan, heat 1 tsp oil on a medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for 5 mins, then add the cherry tomatoes, spinach, passata, the sundried tomato paste and simmer gently for 10 mins. Season with sea salt and black pepper. In a small ovenproof dish place a few spoonfuls of the tomato sauce, followed by a layer or two of the aubergine slices (depending on how many slices you have), and a very thin layer of basil pesto. Repeat 3 times. Then sprinkle with the ground almonds.

Place the aubergine and pesto bake in the oven for 20 mins until turning golden. After 10 mins, place the kalettes on a baking tray, drizzle with 1 tsp oil and place in the oven for 10 mins alongside the bake. Serve the aubergine and pesto bake on two warm plates alongside the kalettes.

Recipe from Mindful chef (mindfulchef.com)