Lemony Aubergine Balls & Tomato Wholewheat Spaghetti

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C (fan)/ gas 6

Peel and finely chop your red onion[s]

Peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlic

Trim the green stalk[s] off your aubergine[s] and chop into bite-sized pieces

Drain and rinse your green lentils

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of olive oil over a medium heat

Once hot, add half the chopped onion (save the rest for later!) with a pinch of salt and cook for 3-4 min or until starting to soften

Meanwhile, add the chopped aubergine and walnuts to a food processor and pulse for 5 secs or until roughly blitzed

Once the onion has softened, add the blitzed aubergine & walnuts, half your dried oregano and half the chopped garlic (you'll use the rest later!) to the pan and cook for 2-3 min until the aubergine has started to brown

Once browned, transfer to a mixing bowl and reserve the pan

Tip: Transferring the mixture to a bowl will help it cool down before shaping into balls!

Stir through the drained lentils, grated Italian hard cheese, panko breadcrumbs, juice of your lemon[s] and a generous pinch of salt and pepper

Divide the aubergine mixture into 4 per person and shape into balls (clean hands is the best way!) – these are your lemony aubergine balls

Add the lemony aubergine balls to a baking tray (drizzle the tray with olive oil to avoid sticking!) and put it in the oven to cook for 20-25 min or until golden and crisp

While the aubergine balls are cooking, boil a full kettle

Return the pan to a medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil

Once hot, add the remaining chopped onion and cook for 3-4 min or until starting to soften

Dissolve your vegetable stock mix in 100ml [125ml] [150ml] boiled water

Once the onion has softened, add the remaining chopped garlic and dried oregano and cook for 1 min further until fragrant

Once fragrant, add your chopped tomatoes and vegetable stock with a good grind of black pepper and cook for 8-10 min or until reduced to a thick consistency – this is your tomato sauce

Grate your cheddar cheese

While the sauce thickens, add your pasta to a pot of boiled water with a large pinch of salt and bring to the boil over a high heat

Cook the pasta for 7-9 min (10-12 min for wholewheat) or until cooked with a slight bite

Once done, drain the pasta and stir through a drizzle of olive oil