Roast Vegetables, Spinach & Bean Bake

When trying to follow a pesky diet, satisfying comfort food can be hard to come by. This roast vegetable & bean  bake certainly ticks the tasty, cheesy, saucy boxes that you wouldn’t believe it was actually really low in fat. The vegetables are all zero points( according to weight watchers), as is the tomato sauce.

 The main source of the calorie content is the beans, which are a great complex carb substitute, and high in protein (keeping you fuller for longer). If you use a little low fat mozzarella also, it won’t tip the calorie content of the dish over the edge, but it will really add to the whole feel good factor of the dish. Make a green side salad to go with and this would be a healthy and satisfying dinner.

I’ve really had to scold myself for over-eating at the moment, so a handy tip I’ve learned to combat portion control is to cook the bake in individual portion dishes instead of one big casserole dish. This will (you would hope) prevent you for going back for seconds. 

The remaining little dishes can be used for lunch or dinner the following day, or if suitably covered, frozen for up to 2 months.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• Yellow pepper, sliced
• Red pepper, sliced
• Courgette, sliced
• Aubergine, cubed
• 6 Mushrooms, sliced into thirds
• 3 red onions, 2 quartered & 1 diced
• 2 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp of dried oregano
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tin tomatoes
• 1 tin cannellini beans
• 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar
• 4 tbsp of spinach leaves
• 1 ball of reduced fat mozerella, sliced thinly
• 1 tsp of sugar
• Low cal spray
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2. On a baking tray lined with parchment, add the peppers, courgette, aubergine, mushrooms, 2 quartered onions and 2 garlic cloves (in their skin).
3. Spray with low cal spray, sprinkle with oregano, chilli flakes, salt and pepper.
4. Roast for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, add the diced onion to a pan and sauté. Add the tin of tomatoes, sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
6. Bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes to reduce a little.
7. Take the garlic from the oven and squeeze from the skin, chop and add to the sauce, along with the beans and spinach.
8. Place the roast vegetables into the sauce and stir to combine.
9. Place the mixture in either a casserole dish or individual portion oven dishes.
10. Top with the sliced cheese and place in the oven for 15 minutes.
11. Serve with a green salad. (mix tomatoes, cucumber and green leaves with lemon juice)