Getting a nutritious lunch can often be a challenge, especially if you’re on the go and don’t have much time to prepare. While breakfast is arguably the most important meal of the day, that doesn’t mean we should think any less of lunch. Making sure our lunch provides us with the right energy and nutrients can also help us avoid any mid-afternoon slump.

Professor Tim Spector has shared his go to lunch recipe that’s packed with fibre and protein, ensuring we stay full for longer throughout the day. Requiring just 30 minutes to cook in the oven, in the caption for the video shared on TikTok, Professor Spector says: “Lunch is often a race against time.”

The recipe from the gut expert’s cookbook, Food for Life, can be easily assembled using just one tray and is “packed with goodness for your gut microbes.” Loaded with vegetables, “it’s a simple way to get a third of the way to your 30 plants per week goal.”

Roasting aubergines and chickpeas, the recipe also uses tomatoes and fresh pomegranate seeds to create a delicious and nutritious lunch that’s easily prepared in no time.

Aubergines are a great source of fibre, and contain antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, which contribute to our heart health. They’re also low in fat and sugar, which can help with managing blood-sugar levels.

Using harissa to roast the veggies in the oven, a Middle Eastern paste made from chilli, garlic and assorted spices, the dish is packed with flavour and requires little effort to prepare.

Here’s how to make Tim Spector’s aubergine tray bake: 

Ingredients

One aubergine

400g tins chickpeas

175g cherry tomatoes

Three garlic cloves

Two tbsp harissa paste

Four tbsp Greek yoghurt

Two tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Two tbsp tahini

Three tbsp pomegranate seeds

Sesame seeds (optional)

Fresh parsley to serve (optional)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190C and line two large baking trays with baking parchment.

Slice the aubergines into coins and place them on the tray. Mix one teaspoon of harissa with two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and cover aubergine slices with the paste.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Pat them dry and add them to the tray.

Peel your garlic and add this to the tray, along with the cherry tomatoes. Bake for 30 minutes in the oven, checking if the aubergine is soft before removing.

For the dip:

Mix one teaspoon of harissa with four tablespoons of Greek yoghurt. Once the vegetables are out of the oven, mash the roasted garlic in the dip.

Spread this on a plate, creating a layer for your roasted veggies.

For the dressing:

Combine two tablespoons of tahini with water until it forms a smooth dressing.

Once you’ve placed the roasted vegetables on top of the yoghurt dip, drizzle the tahini dressing on top. Add your choice of parsley, pomegranate and sesame seeds and tuck in.