This is a great vegetarian main dish!

During the holiday season you want to be able to serve a great main dish to your vegetarian guests that’s not just everyone else’s side dishes.

Well here to the rescue with this fantastic vegetarian main course. You can prepare it a day ahead and cook it in the oven on the day itself. Leaving you plenty of time to pour those drinks and catch up with your friends and family.

And we both know that it doesn’t have to be Christmas to serve these delicious stuffed vegetables, how about meatless Monday?

So, give this a try and let me know if you miss the beef? I bet you won’t.

Serves 4 as a main dish or 8 as a side

Ingredients.

• 2 Aubergines
• 2 red peppers
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic, peeled and grated
• 1 pack of Quorn mince or vegetarian mince, 340 grs. / 12 oz.
• 2 cups cooked spelt or brown rice
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. agave or honey
• 1 tbsp. flour
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• a handful parsley, chopped
• 2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
• 1 cup grated cheese like cheddar or gouda or vegan substitute
• salt and pepper

Bechamel sauce;

• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 cups milk of choice
• salt and pepper
• ground nutmeg, just a dash

Method;

Pre heat oven to 200° / 390°

Wash all the vegetables, dry them and cut them in half. Cut the core and seeds out of the peppers leaving the stalk on. I actually try to cut the stalk in half too so everyone gets a bit of green.

Remove the flesh from the aubergine leaving about a quarter inch of the sides.

Cut up the flesh.

Put a large frying pan on the heat and add one tablespoon of olive oil. Cook the onion and garlic until beginning to colour. Add the aubergine and celery and add the other tablespoon of oil. Season with the Cajun seasoning and cook for about 15 minutes until the aubergine is soft.

Add the quorn and spelt and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and sweetener. Cook for an other minute.

Add the tablespoon of flour and cook for a minute or two. Add a cup of stock and stir around, it should be getting a little  thick, the idea is to bind the filling a little bit so it holds better in the vegetables. Fill the peppers and aubergine halves and place them in a baking tray that has been covered with parchment paper.

To make the bechamel sauce;

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a low heat.