Roast vegetable & chicken gratin

(serves 2-3)

This is a healthy, low carb alternative to lasagne; the vegetables are roasted first, then layered with cooked chicken and tomato sauce, topped with a little grated cheese and baked in the oven. It’s a great way to make your chicken go further and eat a healthier balance of less meat and more veg! Serve with steamed broccoli or a big green salad.

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 small-medium onion, peeled and chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pushed through a garlic press

1tsp dried oregano

1 tin plum tomatoes, chopped

1 large aubergine, sliced lengthwise into ½cm slices

1 large or 2 small courgettes, sliced lengthwise into ½cm slices

6-8 mushrooms, washed and sliced thickly

1 pepper (red, green or yellow), cut into large dice or slices

1 large cooked chicken breast / leg meat / bought cooked chicken slices, in bite-sized chunks

30g low fat cheddar or Edam cheese, grated

• Place aubergine slices on a tray or a clean surface and sprinkle liberally with salt on both sides. Leave for half an hour and then rinse off and pat dry using kitchen paper or clean tea towel.
• Heat oven to 200 degrees C. Put 1 tbsp olive oil into roasting tin, heat for 5 minutes and spread over tin using a pastry brush. When hot, add aubergine slices and roast for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway, until some parts of the slices start to turn golden brown. Add slices of courgettes, mushrooms and peppers to the roasting tin, drizzle with a little of the oil, season with pepper and a little sea salt and continue to roast for 15-20 minutes.
• Fry onion in ½tbsp olive oil over gentle heat for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and oregano, cook for a further minute. Add tin of tomatoes, bring to the boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
• Place layers of roast vegetables and chicken pieces in a lasagne dish with blobs of tomato sauce, finish with grated cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.