Meera Sodha's Vegan Recipe for Baked Eggplant, Chickpeas and Tomatoes | The new vegan

The food industry is not known for its proverbs. If I had to write one, it might be, "Give a man a frying pan, and he can stand by the stove and cook for dinner." Give a man some oven trays, and he's free to sit on the couch and watch Love Island while dinner gets ready. With that in mind, I've adapted one of my favorite things to eat: a dish of tomatoes, chickpeas, and eggplant, prepared with just enough spice to raise eyebrows, into an oven-based recipe.

Baked eggplant, chickpeas and tomatoes – for a variety of flavors, and swap the chickpeas for the canned beans you have in the cupboard.

Preparation 5 minCooking 1 h 10 minFor 4 to 6 people

100 ml of extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing 3 medium aubergines (about 775g) 6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 3 400g cans of crushed tomatoes 1½ tsp salt ½ tsp ground black pepper ¾ tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp urfa chilli flakes 2 400g cans of drained chickpeas chopped mint

Preheat oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Line a large (or two medium) baking sheet with reusable parchment paper and brush with oil.

Cut the aubergines into 1½ cm thick slices, place them side by side on the baking sheet(s) and brush the top with oil.

Place the oil and crushed garlic in a 30cm x 40cm baking dish, then add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, cinnamon and urfa pepper, and toss gently to combine.

Place tray(s) in the oven and cook for 30 minutes, until the eggplant slices crumble when crushed; if not, cook them for another five to 10 minutes. Scrape the aubergines into the tomato dish, add the chickpeas, stir and cook for another 30 minutes, after which the sauce should be oily, dark and rich.

While this time, combine the yogurt, loose tahini and salt in a nice serving bowl. Pour the eggplant, tomatoes and chickpeas into another large bowl, add a dollop of tahini yogurt, sprinkle with mint leaves and serve with the remaining yogurt mixture on the side.