Lets Connect!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Click here to sign up to the ProperFoodie emails and receive a FREE RECIPE EBOOK

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Recipe index
    • All Recipes and posts
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Fish Recipes
    • Fakeaway Recipes
    • Italian Recipes
    • Curry and curry pastes
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Starters, sides and party food
    • Mexican Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Dessert
    • Browse all recipe categories
  • Top recipes
    • Thai red curry (Recipe Video + Step-By-Step Guide)
    • Easy Avocado recipes
    • Banana Bread (Healthy and wholegrain)
    • 23 Romantic Dinner Recipes
    • Sushi Rolls (Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide, Recipe Tips + Recipe Video)
    • How to make homemade fresh pasta
    • Thai Green Curry (Recipe Video + Step-By-Step Guide)
    • Chicken Tikka Masala Curry
  • Ebook
  • About
    • Contact
    • Disclosure & Privacy Policy
    • Nutrition Information Guide
  • Work with me
    • Food Photography
    • Food videography
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

ProperFoodie

The blog of a foodie: nutritious and full flavoured recipes

Home » Red Meat Recipes » Meat and leek pies with aubergine pastry

Meat and leek pies with aubergine pastry

Feb 6, 2017 by Debbie About 9 minutes to read this article. / This post may contain affiliate links / This blog generates income via ads / 8 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

 A meat and leek pie that is so tasty and yet amazingly healthy. These little pies taste just like a normal meat pie encased in a thin, soft pastry. . . but . . . there isn’t actually any pastry involved in this recipe at all! 

aubergine pie with mince meat and leek filling

It might seem a little odd to replace pastry with . . . wait for it and please don’t leave . . .

aubergine! 🙂

Come back!

Trust me when you try it you’ll realise that not only is it lower in fat and calories, but as far as a tasty, pastry alternative goes, this is most definitely the way forward, even if you’re not on a diet.

Like a lot of my recipes the inspiration for this dish comes from Italy!

Italy really is a magical, foodie paradise and I’m sure it will be bringing me new and inspired recipes for the rest of my life. However, this particular recipe will always hold a special place in my heart (and belly).

I had my first alfresco, aubergine pie in a little Tuscan restaurant on the hilltop village of Pienza. Ben and I sat on a little table, at the edge of the restaurant gardens, overlooking the beautiful rolling hills, cypress trees and vineyards of Italy. It really was picture perfect. If you ever find yourself in Tuscany, and you haven’t been to Pienza, then I would strongly recommend a visit there and to the quaint, traditional Terrazza Val D’orcia restaurant.

Pienza Tuscany

Aubergine pie in Tuscany

Whats particularly special and memorable about this restaurant and dish, is that a year after these pictures were taken, we found ourselves back in the very same spot, ordering the very same meal and making another very special memory.

This is where we got engaged.

It was early on in the evening and so we briefly had the restaurant gardens to ourselves. I sat patiently waiting for my Tuscan pie and sipped on a deep red, plummy wine whilst taking in the incredible view. I had no idea that Ben was about to pull out the most beautiful ring and ask if I would be his wife.

Pienza restaurant pre engagement

Debbie and Ben engegement

the ring and the pie

It was and will always be one of the most special moments of my life

I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect proposal and probably wouldn’t have been able to dream up something so incredible if I’d been able to plan it myself. However, with all the excitement of getting engaged to my best friend and soul mate, I completely lost my appetite. Never – been – known!

And so a pathetic attempt was made by both me and Ben to eat this wonderful pie, but in the end we both gave up and decided to stick to the wine.

So it only seems right that I should recreate the aubergine pie at home. Its taken me long enough but I thought it was essential that I got this made, eaten, and up on the blog before we return to Italy for our wedding in August this year. And I’m actually extremely pleased with the way my version of the aubergine pie turned out.

aubergine pie

So how did I go about recreating this pie?

First off, as with most aubergine recipes, its essential to prepare the aubergine properly before hand. This requires salt, kitchen towels and a couple of heavy books. Salting freshly cut aubergine helps to remove any excess water and any bitter taste along with it. As I was making pies, and the aubergine was to be the pastry, I wanted to remove as much of the water and bitterness as possible.

Salting aubergine for the removal of excess water and bitterness

So firstly, slice the aubergine length ways into strips (around 3-4mm thick). Lay the sliced aubergine side by side on a cooling rack, place over a tray, and then scatter a pinch of sea salt over each piece.

Salting aubergine

Then cover with sheets of kitchen towel:

aubergine salted

and place a couple of heavy cook books over the top of this. It might be useful to place a sheet of foil or cling film between the kitchen towel and the books, as a lot of water does drain off and my books did get a little wet.

cookbooks and salted aubergines

Leave the aubergine like this for a good couple of hours and let the salt and the compression of the books squeeze away all the water.

After 2 hours or so, remove the books and kitchen towel. Briefly rinse the aubergine slices to remove the salt and then pat dry.

Next separate the slices into sets of four, trying to ensure different sized slices are spread evenly between groups. Each set of 4 is used to line a small, round, tin mould (approx. 3 inch diameter moulds). Drizzle olive oil inside each mould before adding the aubergine, this will prevent sticking during baking.

I used one slice to line the base of the mould and then the other slices were just used to line the sides – this was to stop a thicker layer of aubergine being created on the bottom.

line tins with aubergine slices

Next make up the filling of fried mince beef, chopped onions and chopped leeks. Then add this to each mould. Ensure that the filling is pressed well into each mould, so you can fit in as much as possible. The last thing you want is for there to be big gaps of empty space in your pie.

add filling to aubergine lining

Then fold over the flaps of aubergine, cutting down to size if required:

cut down aubergine to fit

Secure with cocktail sticks:

secure aubergine with cocktail sticks

Then Bake and voila…..amazing aubergine pies!!

Easy!! . . . Ok so it isn’t a quick recipe, and definitely one I’d consider bookmarking for a weekend. This is not a 15 minute, Jamie Oliver style, mid week meal. But it is a spectacular, spend an afternoon in the kitchen, and feel ever so chuffed with your creation afterwards meal.

I served up these beauts with some freshly roasted beetroot and a homemade horseradish and yogurt sauce. The pies were finished with a passata sauce and grated parmesan, and the horseradish sauce was garnished with chopped chives. Truly a masterpiece …….thank you  Terrazza Val D’orcia for your wonderful aubergine dish and for helping make our engagement so special.

Nutritional information for this recipe >>

**Estimated nutritional information per individual pie with passata and cheese topping and 100g of pie. If you want to find out more about how the information is calculated and the sources used, please refer to my Nutrition Information Guide.


aubergine pastry pies

Meat and leek pies with aubergine pastry

Aubergine pie - Meat and leek pie with aubergine pastry topped with passata and parmesan served with roasted beetroot and horseradish sauce.
0 from 0 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time: 3 hrs
Cook Time: 30 mins
Calories: 266kcal
Author @ ProperFoodie: Debbie

Ingredients

For the pie filling

  • 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 300 g onion finely chopped
  • 100 g leeks finely chopped
  • 400 g extra lean mince meat
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • Salt and pepper to season

For the pie casing

  • 3 medium aubergines around 250g each
  • A good amound of sea salt for dehydrating the aubergine
  • Olive oil to drizzle on the inside of pie moulds

for the toppings and garnishes

  • 3 small pieces of raw beetroot peeled (use gloves)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • A squeeze of runny honey
  • 200 g passata
  • 20 g grated parmesan
  • 4 tbsp Greek style fat free yogurt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp horseradish sauce
  • pinch of salt and black pepper
  • Chopped chives and lettuce leaves if desired

Equipment

  • Cooling rack and tray for draining the aubergine
  • Plenty of kitchen towel
  • Heavy cooking books
  • Pie/dessert moulds approx. 3 inch diameter
  • Cocktail sticks

Instructions

for the pie

  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
  • Prepare the aubergine as per the instructions in the above post, including lining the pie moulds with the aubergine.
  • Prepare the filling by heating 1/2 tbsp oil in a large pan, add the onion and leek and gently fry until soft. Then add the mince meat, bay leaf and oregano. Fry until the meat is browned throughout. (Only use half a tbsp of oil, so to keep the filling as dry as possible).
  • Drain the filling into a sieve, lined with kitchen towels. Its important to ensure that the filling is well drained to prevent the pies from being too soggy. at the same time find and remove the bay leaf.
  • Add the filling to the lined moulds - see images above. Push the filling down with the back of the spoon in order to fit in as much as possible.
  • Fold the aubergine slices over the top of the filling, trimming where necessary with scissors. Secure with cocktail sticks.
  • Place the pies onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

for the toppings and garnishes

  • Whilst the pies are baking, the beetroot and horseradish sauce can be prepared. Cut each piece of peeled beetroot into 1-2cm chunks. Place on a baking tray, drizzle with oil and honey, then pop in the oven for 20 minutes - both the beetroot and pies should be ready at a similar time.
  • Next place the passata in a small sauce pan and gently heat, once boiled, set to one side and allow to cool. This will allow any excess water to evaporate so there won't be any runny juices when serving.

For the horseradish sauce

  • In a small bowl add the yogurt, olive oil, horseradish, and salt and pepper. Then mix well and taste. Add more horseradish, seasoning or yogurt if required. Set to one side ready for serving.

Assembling the dish.

  • Once the pies and beetroot are cooked remove from the oven. Set the pies to one side to cool slightly for 5 minutes, before attempting to remove from their containers.
  • Whilst waiting for the pies to cool; arrange the lettuce leaves and cooked beetroot on the serving plates. carefully spoon blobs of the horseradish and yogurt sauce on or next to the beetroot and sprinkle over the chives.
  • Next return to your pies and run a sharp knife around the egde of the moulds in order to release the aubergine. Place a spatula over the top of the mould, then turn upside down and gently allow the pie to slide out. You may want to place kitchen towel under your spatula just in case any excess juices spill out.
  • Transfer the pie to the serving plate - repeat for each pie.
  • Spoon passata over each pie and finish with grated parmesan.

Nutrition

Serving: 420g | Calories: 266kcal | Fat: 10.8g
Tried this recipe?Mention @InstaProperFoodie or tag #ProperFoodieBlog!

Pin for Later

Meat & leek pie with aubergine pastry

 

 I am linking this up to #recipeoftheweek, Brilliant blog posts and #CookBlogShare
Link up your recipe of the week

Brilliant blog posts on HonestMum.com

Hijacked By Twins

Related Posts

  • tikka masala paste
    Homemade Tikka Masala Paste

    This really easy homemade Tikka Masala Paste is great to have handy in the fridge,…

  • Fajita spiced chicken platter with avocado salad
    Fajita Chicken salad

    Spicy fajita chicken salad served with rice. Chicken fajita platter Happy New Year! My first…

  • Chicken Tikka Curry
    Chicken Tikka Masala Curry

    An easy homemade chicken tikka masala, with homemade curry paste and healthy side dishes Most…

About Debbie

Debbie jones is a Food photographer, Food videographer and Recipe creator. Her background is in Public Health Nutrition and also works as a Nutrition researcher at the University of Manchester

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

8
Leave a Reply

avatar

This comment form is under antispam protection
5 Comment threads
3 Thread replies
0 Followers
 
Most reacted comment
Hottest comment thread
5 Comment authors
34 Last Minute Healthy Valentine's Day Menu Ideas - Basement BakehouseMandy MazliahhijackedbytwinsCorinaDebbie Recent comment authors
avatar

This comment form is under antispam protection

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  Subscribe  
newest oldest
Notify of
Mandy Mazliah
Guest
Mandy Mazliah

What a brilliant idea to use aubergines instead of pastry! #CookBlogShare

Reply
2 years ago
hijackedbytwins
Guest
hijackedbytwins

Oh wow! Being on Slimming World pastry is a no go so these would be perfect for me! They are a must try. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x

Reply
2 years ago
Debbie
Author
Debbie

Glad you approve Kirsty!!! Happy to share 😊👍🏻Hope you get chance to give them a try. My other half is a big fan of the standard pie, so wasn’t sure how well these would be received. But he loved them so I would definitely recommend if you’re trying to get around pastry or pie craving ☺️

Reply
2 years ago
Corina
Guest
Corina

These little pies are wonderful! I’d never have though to use aubergine instead of pastry but they look delicious. What a special meal too and a beautiful location to get engaged!

Reply
2 years ago
Debbie
Author
Debbie

Thanks so much Corina. They really did turn out amazingly well……just so long as the aubergine is properly dehydrated first, they work a treat 😊 Thanks for stopping by!!

Reply
2 years ago
Eb Gargano / easypeasyfoodie.com
Guest
Eb Gargano / easypeasyfoodie.com

Oh what a lovely story – and what a romantic setting for a proposal!! I have been to Tuscany – I studied Italian at language school in Florence and travelled quite a bit around the region, but I have never even heard of Pienza, let alone been there – I will have to look it up, if ever I am there again! I love the idea of using aubergine instead of pastry for a tart – aubergine is one of my favourite veggies and the Italians have some awesome ways of using it! Thanks for linking it up to #CookBlogShare!… Read more »

Reply
2 years ago
Debbie
Author
Debbie

Thanks Eb! Wow….studied Italian!! I’m so jealous. I wish I could speak Italian but I usually come up with every excuse under the sun to not actually sit down and try to do it.
Pienza is most definitely one of my favourite place in the world 😊 Tuscany as a whole is pretty spectacular though. And yes the Italians certainly know their aubergines. Happy to be a part of the #cookblogshare!! I’ve been meaning to figure out the whole link thing for a while now 😊 Thanks so much for visiting😊

Reply
2 years ago

Primary Sidebar

Hi There!

Welcome to Properfoodie.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
I’m Debbie and here you will find all of my favourite, easy to follow recipes with healthy, nutritious ingredients.
I'm a registered nutritionist (RNutr), food photographer, food videographer, recipe developer, lover of chocolate and anything Nutella based.
You can get in touch with me at debbie@properfoodie.com Find out more

Featured recipes

Italian Pasta Salad

Italian Pasta Salad

Banana Bread (Healthy and wholegrain)

creamy mushroom pasta

Creamy Mushroom Pasta (Step-by-Step Guide + Video)

Clam chowder recipe

Clam Chowder (Recipe video + Step-by-Step guide)

Browse all recipe categories

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE RECIPE EBOOK

 

Click here to subscribe for your weekly recipe fix and to receive your free recipe ebook

Registered nutritionist with the Association for Nutrition

Registered Nutritionist logo

Winner of Best Recipe Blog at Health Blog Awards 2019

Health blogger awards winner of best recipe blog 2019

Pink lady photography award winner: 3rd place for wine places 2017

Pink Lady photography awards 3rd place winner for wine Places 2017

Winner of best food blog at We Blog North Awards 2017

Norther Blog Awards 2017 - Winner

Member of

Foodies100 Index of UK Food Blogs
Foodies100

Footer

Disclosure and privacy

Properfoodie disclosure statement & privacy policy
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

DEBBIE JONES, REGISTERED NUTRITIONIST (RNutr, MSc) & FOOD BLOGGER.
Thanks for visiting Properfoodie. I’m Debbie and here you will find all of my favourite meals, with easy to follow recipes and healthy, nutritious ingredients Let's dig in →

Work with me

Click here for more details

My Favorites

christmas cake recipe
cauliflower soup
aubergine parmigiana

Copyright © 2019 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework

×
  • Home
  • Recipe index
  • Ebook
  • About
  • Contact
  • Work with me
  • Food Photography

Modern Mobile Menu Social icons

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    wpDiscuz