Kidney Bean Moussaka ( Ww )

Submitted by DenaP

"This recipe comes from the "Weight Watchers 35 years of favourite recipes" cookbook. It's delicious and filling, and people always ask for the recipe. The flavours develop slowly, so this is a perfect dish for making a day ahead or for freezing. WW scores this as 5 1/2 points per large serving. Cooking notes: For new chefs, thickening cornflour and milk takes a while! Be patient. I never use the peppers due to allergies -- they definitely aren't necessary to make this delicious! In Israel, it's harder to get exact ingredients, so I make it here with a brown bean that's the same consistency of kidneys (don't know what it is, though) and mozzarella cheese. The cheddar's better, but these exchanges are still delicious, so improvise with confidence! Replacing the two tsps of oil used for the pan and for frying veg with Pam olive oil spray will save you a point per serving."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 50mins
• Ingredients: 17
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 3 teaspoons olive oil, for baking
• 1 teaspoon olive oil, for pan
• 1 teaspoon olive oil, for frying
• 1 large aubergine, sliced (eggplant)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 red pepper, de-seeded and chopped
• 400 g chopped tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree (paste)
• 220 g red kidney beans, drained, rinsed and mashed gently
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons sweet red wine
• 4 tablespoons cornflour
• 600 ml skim milk (0% fat)
• 110 g low-fat cheddar cheese
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 190C / fan oven 170C / 375°F Lightly grease a baking sheet with 1 teaspoon of oil. Place the aubergine (eggplant) slices on the sheet in one layer. Brush the tops of the aubergine slices with 3 teaspoons of oil. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden.
2. Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil in a saucepan then cook the onion, garlic and red pepper for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, beans, cinnamon, wine and seasoning. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes.
3. In a medium-size saucepan, mix the cornflour with a little of the milk to make a paste. Beat in the remaining milk then cook over a moderate heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. Mix in half the cheese, season to taste, then remove the pan from the heat. Allow the sauce to cool slightly then beat in the egg.
4. Arrange half of the baked aubergine slices in the base of a shallow, ovenproof casserole dish. Spoon over half of the bean mixture then half of the white sauce. Repeat the layers, finishing with the white sauce. Scatter the remaining cheese over. (My husband made this once, and he didn't pay attention to this step. Instead, he did one thick layer of aubergine, then all the beans, then all the white sauce. It was quite dramatic looking, quite delicious, and that bit easier. You decide.).
5. Bake for about 1 hour, until golden and bubbling.