Summer vegetable and Beef Traybake
Ratatouille meets moussaka in this summer vegetable-packed, nourishing beef dish. Reminiscent of summertime in Greece, it’s super-comforting and delicious with some salad leaves, fresh chopped tomatoes and a squeeze of lemon and rapeseed oil. Easy to make in a roasting tin and fantastic to have in the fridge to dig into.
Ingredients
- 1 aubergine
- 1 red onion
- 1 courgette
- 500g small new potatoes
- 3 cloves of garlic
- Mint leaves
- Rapeseed oil
- 500g minced beef
- 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp of tomato puree
- 1 tbsp of honey
- A pinch of cinnamon
- 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
- Salt and pepper
For the bechamel sauce: - 200g butter
- 150g plain flour
- 900ml milk
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 140g Greek yogurt
- 100g strong cheddar, grated
- 200g feta-style cheese
Method
- To make the sauce, put the butter into a pan and melt. Add the flour and stir to combine.
- Add the milk a little at a time, stirring gently and letting the sauce thicken.
- Add about 2/3rds of the grated cheddar and stir until melted and combined.
- Add the beaten eggs and stir into the sauce. Add the Greek yogurt and half of the feta and stir for a few more minutes then lift off the heat.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
- Chop the aubergine, courgette, potatoes and onion into small chunks, put them into a lined roasting tin, add the garlic cloves and some mint leaves. Drizzle with rapeseed oil and roast in a hot oven for about 40 minutes.
- Add the mince, break it up with a wooden spoon and stir into the mixture, put back into the oven to brown the mince (for about 5-10 minutes).
- Then season with salt and pepper and add tinned tomatoes, honey, cinnamon, balsamic vinegar, mint leaves and tomato puree and put back in the oven to roast for about another half an hour.
- Spoon into a large deep metal tin or leave in the roasting tin and top with bechamel sauce. Crumble strong cheese and the remaining feta on top and bake in the oven for about
- 35 minutes or until pale golden on top.
