I’ve started a wee little regular column here called Make Ahead Meals Monday. I tend to make a few big pots of healthy food on the weekend and have individual servings all packed in the fridge for the week. That way I don’t have any excuses to order spring rolls and Vietnamese chicken for dinner when I’m too tired or busy to cook something that’s not going to clog my arteries or make cellulite happen. This week I’ve got a vegetable and brown rice ‘Smaggletouille’. I didn’t want to call it ‘casserole’ because I have a weird complex about that word. I HATED casserole as a child and I have a very Pavlovian response to it as an adult. If you tell me I’m eating casserole, I’m going to enjoy my meal about 30% less than if you called it something else. You might as well call it Poo Stew, that’s how much I hated casserole.
This non-casserole is dead easy to make, vegetarian and about 300 calories per serve, including the rice. It’s also totally delicious… don’t let the fact that it looks like stinky casserole deter you. It’s Smaggletouille… not lumpy, bumpy, hateful casserole.
- 1 large eggplant, diced
- 1 large red capsicum, diced
- 1 large zuchinni, diced
- 4 tomatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1 bunch of finely chopped basil
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice
- Cook brown rice according to instructions on the packet
- Slice a shallow cross on the bottom of each of the tomatoes. Plunge them into boiling water for about a minute and then peel, discard the skin and dice tomatoes.
- Heat half the oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and cook for 3 mintues until soft. Add capsicum and cook for a further 5 minutes, while stirring. Place onion and capsicum in a separate bowl.
- Heat remaining oil in the saucepan and add eggplant and zucchini. Cook while stirring for 5 minutes. Add onions and capsicum back in the pot, as well as the tomatoes, thyme and tomato paste. Stir to mix through. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and leave to cook for 15 minutes.
- Add basil and garlic and stir though. Serve with ½ cup of cooked brown rice.
This is the perfect dish to take to work – you can just pop it in the microwave and have a hearty, delicious and healthy lunch. It’s also full of yummy sickness fighting ingredients like thyme and garlic because I know lots of people have been really unwell recently. So make sure you whip up a batch of this if you’ve been feeling a bit shit – it’ll fix you right up!
If you need a little bit of inspiration for your lunch boxes this week you can check out last week’s post –
Make Ahead Meals Monday: Low Carb Lasagna
Get cracking – plan your make ahead meal, grab some groceries on the way home and get cooking!
What’s in your lunchbox today?
5 Comments
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This sounds delish! I make a similar version of it, a large quantity. We usually start off having it as a side with lamb (roast, or chops, or whatever), then serve it as a pasta sauce. Such delicious flavours, and really healthy! Thanks for these posts Carly, they get me out of my cooking rut. I’m planning to make your low-carb lasagne this week! x
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No worries at all – that’s the whole point! I always make ymmy healthy food in Sundays and have it ready for the week. Stay tuned for next week! I’ll have something else super delicious! x
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Looks delish! PLUS a new word! Totally using Pavlovian in a sentence tomorrow! (though I really thought I was headed for a summer dessert when I clicked that link) x
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Ha! I love teaching people new words. It basically means when you have a physical reaction to something based on repeated passed experiences. Like hurling every time someone says ‘casserole’. 🙂
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I like the sound (taste) of this . Thanks
