Roasted aubergine, courgette & chickpea traybake with tahini drizzle
Quick, make-ahead traybake lunch: roasted aubergine, courgette, chestnut mushrooms and chickpeas over quinoa with a bright tahini dressing.
This traybake is the kind of lunch you can put in the oven, answer one email and come back to something that looks and tastes like effort. It’s bright, filling and frees up your hands for the rest of the afternoon.
Make a double batch at the weekend and you’ve got reheatable lunches for a few days — the tahini keeps everything feeling fresh. Eat warm or cold, spooned over quinoa or greens for a proper working-from-home power lunch.
Ingredients
- 1 aubergine — about 300 g, cut into 2 cm chunks
- 1 courgette — about 200 g, halved lengthways and sliced into 1 cm half-moons
- 1 red pepper — seeded and sliced
- 150 g chestnut mushrooms — halved if large
- 1 red onion — cut into wedges
- 200 g cherry tomatoes
- 400 g tinned chickpeas — drained and rinsed
- 200 g cooked quinoa — warmed or at room temperature (see tips for cooking ahead)
- 30 ml olive oil
- 5 ml smoked paprika
- 5 ml ground cumin
- 5 ml sea salt — approximately, adjust to taste
- 5 ml black pepper — freshly ground
- 5 ml chilli flakes — optional
- 60 g tahini
- 1 lemon — zest and juice
- 1 garlic clove — crushed
- 40 ml water — to loosen the tahini
- 15 g fresh parsley — roughly chopped
- 50 g pomegranate seeds — optional, for colour and acidity
Equipment
- baking tray
- measuring spoons
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C conventional.
Put the aubergine, courgette, red pepper, chestnut mushrooms, red onion, cherry tomatoes and tinned chickpeas into a large mixing bowl. Add the olive oil, smoked paprika, ground cumin, sea salt, black pepper and chilli flakes (if using). Toss until everything is evenly coated.
Spread the seasoned vegetables and chickpeas in a single layer on a baking tray (do not overcrowd). Roast on the middle shelf for 25 minutes, turning once at 12–13 minutes, until edges are caramelised and aubergine is tender.
Remove the tray from the oven and leave to rest on the side for 10 minutes so the flavours settle and any excess moisture evaporates.
While the veg rest, make the tahini dressing. In a small bowl whisk together the tahini, juice and zest of the lemon, crushed garlic clove and a pinch of sea salt. Add the water a little at a time and whisk until the dressing is smooth and pourable; season with black pepper.
Divide the cooked quinoa between two bowls. Top each portion with the roasted vegetables and chickpeas, drizzle over the tahini dressing and scatter over the fresh parsley and pomegranate seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips
- Cook quinoa ahead and store in the fridge; this recipe works best with cold or room-temperature cooked quinoa so lunchtime assembly is quick.
- Do not overcrowd the baking tray — space gives you caramelisation. Use two trays if needed.
- If you prefer a creamier dressing, swap 20 g of the water for 20 g of natural yoghurt (vegetarian, not vegan).
- Leftovers keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days; reheat in the oven at 180°C fan/200°C conventional for 8–10 minutes to refresh the roast.
- If pomegranate seeds aren’t available, scatter toasted seeds or a handful of chopped dried apricots for a sweet contrast.
Substitutions
tinned chickpeas → 240 g cooked dried chickpeas (home-cooked) or 400 g tinned cannellini beans
Stays closetahini → 60 g natural yoghurt (vegetarian) or 60 g tahini mixed with 1 tsp maple syrup for a sweeter dressing
Noticeably differentcooked quinoa → 200 g cooked brown rice or 200 g cooked bulgur
Stays closepomegranate seeds → 30 g toasted pumpkin seeds or 30 g dried cranberries
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 720
- Calories
- 24 g
- Protein
- 70 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 12 g
- Sugar
- 800 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this completely ahead of time?
Yes — roast the veg and cook the quinoa in the morning or the day before. Store separately and assemble at lunch; dress just before eating to avoid sogginess.
How can I make this spicier?
Increase the chilli flakes to 1 tsp or add a pinch of cayenne to the spice mix. A little harissa stirred into the tahini also works well.
Can I use frozen veg?
You can, but frozen veg release more moisture and won’t caramelise as well. Thaw and pat dry on kitchen paper before roasting, and roast on a hotter tray for better colour.
Is this suitable for batch freezing?
The roasted veg and chickpeas freeze okay, but the tahini dressing and quinoa are better stored in the fridge and prepared fresh to retain texture.
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