For a spicy and hearty dinner, try this smoky aubergine with tomato and chickpeas recipe. This recipe, which is from Annie Rigg’s cookbook Eat More Vegan, combines roasted aubergines, sweet tomatoes, and chickpeas in a smoky chipotle-spiced sauce.

Read more: 10 Vegan Eggplant Recipes

To create the dish, roast aubergines and peppers until caramelized. Sauté onions, garlic, and cumin, then add chipotle, tomatoes, and stock. Combine everything and simmer for a rich, smoky stew. This plant-based meal goes well with couscous, brown basmati rice, or warm flatbreads. Garnish with fresh coriander and lemon zest for a bright, aromatic finish. It’s perfect for cozy dinners and pairs beautifully with a crisp salad or pickled side dish.

Smoky aubergine with tomato and chickpeas

Smoky aubergine with tomato and chickpeas is a rich, spiced stew featuring roasted vegetables and a chipotle-infused sauce. Perfect for cozy dinners, it’s hearty, flavorful, and entirely plant-based.

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Servings

Ingredients

2 dried chipotle chillies
1 large onion chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
500 g ripe tomatoes
2 aubergines quartered lengthways then cut into large bite-size chunks
2 Romano peppers deseeded and cut into large bite-size chunks
1 large garlic clove crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp tomato purée
1x 400 g can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
200 ml vegetable stock
2 tsp date or dark agave syrup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

2 tbsp roughly chopped coriander
Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 160° fan/180°C/gas mark 4.
Soak the chipotle chilies in freshly boiled water for 20 minutes to soften.
Tip the chopped onion into a large, heavy saucepan with a lid. Add 1 tbsp of the olive oil and cook over a low–medium heat for about 8 minutes until softened and just starting to brown at the edges.
Meanwhile, cut a cross on the underside of each tomato and soak in a bowl of freshly boiled water for 1 minute to loosen the skins. Drain the tomatoes under cold running water, peel off the skins, cut out the tough core and roughly chop the flesh. Set aside.
Combine the aubergine and peppers in a large roasting tin, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and mix thoroughly to coat the vegetables in oil. Cook in the oven for about 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, until softened and golden brown.
Add the garlic and cumin to the onions and cook for another minute. Drain the chipotle chilies, finely chop and add to the saucepan with the tomato purée. Stir to combine and cook for a further 2 minutes to lightly caramelize the tomato purée.
Add the chopped tomatoes, chickpeas and vegetable stock and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down and softened.
Add the roasted aubergines and peppers to the pan, cover and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes until the aubergines are very soft and have soaked up the tomato sauce. Add the date syrup and adjust the seasoning if needed. Scatter with the coriander and lemon zest to serve.

‘Eat More Vegan’ by Annie Rigg (Pavilion Books). Image credit to Nassima Rothacker.